Amna Nawaz
@PBSNewsHour·5.3M subscribers·62.2K videos
Could social media be erasing regional accents?
Posted
August 7, 2026
Views
2,505
Likes
118
Engagement
4.71%
August 7, 2026
2,505
118
4.71%
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1:52Now PlayingLinguist Valerie Fridland says that the parasocial relationships that come with social media have some influence on American accents.
"We have this much more intimate relationship with people over social media and the internet than we did ever with television, which was really static in our relationship. That does seem to have an influence," she told PBS News' Judy Woodruff.
"The biggest influence it's having is not so much teaching us new sounds to say, ... but it certainly lets words, vocabulary, slang move through virally in very, very rapid ways," she added.
Fridland, along with linguist Anne Curzan, joined Judy Woodruff for the latest episode of her podcast, "In Pursuit of Happiness," to discuss American English, how it has transformed over time and more.
For the full episode, click the link in our bio.
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