'Unalive' Gains Use Among Young People Online

It can refer to homicide or suicide, and language experts say it's not a cause for alarm
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 15, 2023 9:00 AM CDT
'Unalive' Gains Use Among Young People Online
An Associated Press illustration, by Peter Hamlin.   (AP Illustration/Peter Hamlin)

A new phrase on a dark subject is in circulation among young people online, particularly on TikTok, per the AP. "Unalive" refers to death by suicide or homicide. It can function as adjective or verb and joins similar phrasing—like "mascara," to mean sexual assault—coined by social media users as a workaround to fool algorithms on sites and apps that censor posts containing discussion of explicit or violent content. Language has always evolved. New words have always popped up. Teenagers have often led the way. But the internet and online life pave the way for it to happen more quickly. In this case, words created within a digital setting to evade rules are now jumping the fences from virtual spaces into real ones and permeating spoken language, especially among young people.

Beyond being interesting linguistic footnotes, the terms suggest ways that kids can safely discuss and understand serious matters while using a vocabulary that science—and the adults in their lives—might see as too casual or dangerously naive. But don't get too worried, experts say. Such a shift is known as a "lexical innovation," says Andrea Beltrama, a linguistics researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. He and others say that while it might be jarring for non-TikTokkers to hear suicide and sexual assault discussed so euphemistically, it doesn't necessarily remove the seriousness from the conversation.

"Whoever says 'unalive' intends to communicate something about suicide, and knows that, and assumes that whoever is on the other end will be able to retrieve that intention," Beltrama says. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people ages 10-24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and suicide rates for that age group increased more than 50% from 2000-2021. Using "unalive" could actually make for more meaningful discussions among youths—giving them a sense of community and trust they couldn't have with adults who use the words "suicide" or "kill."

story continues below

Dr. Steven Adelsheim, a Stanford University psychiatry professor and the director of the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing, also advises against overreaction. "Young people are pretty savvy," Adelsheim says. "I think people understand what they're doing when they're using 'unalive' as a flip descriptor." Dictionary.com—the hipper alternative to major English-language dictionaries that so far do not appear to address "unalive"—notes both serious and non-serious usage, with this example in the latter: "My mom is going to unalive me if I don't clean my room." (If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X