CNN
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As you read this, look around you. Are you still in bed? Are there piles of clothes and takeout boxes strewn across the floor? Do you have chip crumbs on your sheets? Have you broken your self-care routine more times than you can count? Don’t you even care? If so, he may already be in “goblin mode”, chosen by the public as the 2022 Oxford word of the year.
According to Oxford University Press (OUP), publishers behind the Oxford English Dictionary, the slang term refers to a type of behavior that is “unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, careless, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects norms.” or social expectations. .” ” – traits that may have become familiar to many during lockdown.
Social media can present idealized versions of self-improvement, from getting up at 5 am and drinking a green smoothie, to journaling, exercising, and planning your weekly meal prep.
that time can be at the exit. In its place is goblin mode, the opposite of trying to get better.
The OUP Word of the Year, also known as the Oxford Word of the Year, was chosen by the public for the first time. A group of OUP lexicographers gave people the option of: “Goblin Mode”, “metaverse” and “#IStandWith”.
The “goblin mode” triumphed with 318,956 votes, 93% of the total. “Metaverse” ranked second and “#IStandWith” ranked third.
Casper Grathwohl, Chairman of OUP’s Oxford Languages, said in a press release on Monday that the “level of commitment to the campaign took us totally by surprise.”
“Given the year we’ve just experienced, ‘Goblin mode’ resonates with all of us who are feeling a bit overwhelmed right now. It is a relief to recognize that we are not always the idealized, curated selves that we are encouraged to present on our Instagram and TikTok feeds,” he said.
The term was first used in 2009 but went viral on social media earlier this year, the OUP said. She rose to fame after a false headline claimed that the rapper formerly known as Kanye West and Julia Fox broke up after she “went into pixie mode.”
“The term then rose in popularity over the following months as Covid lockdown restrictions eased in many countries and people ventured out of their homes more regularly,” according to OUP.
“Apparently, it captured the prevailing mood of people who either rejected the idea of going back to ‘normal life’ or rebelled against the increasingly unattainable aesthetic standards and unsustainable lifestyles showcased on social media.”
The popularity of the term may also be related to the growth of new social networking sites like Be real, where users are invited randomly once a day to post a picture of whatever they’re doing. Goodbye handpicked social media feeds. Hello goblin mode.
The release gives examples of examples of when the term has been used. Among the most vivid he was quoted in The Guardian: “Goblin mode is like when you wake up at 2 am and drag your feet to the kitchen wearing nothing but a long T-shirt to make some weird snack, like melted cheese with crackers.”
“People are embracing their inner elf, and voters choosing ‘elf mode’ as Word of the Year tells us that the concept is likely here to stay,” Grathwohl added.
