Pretty sure it's done to avoid videos/posts being removed by TikTok/Twitter/FB and the likes. For example, you can't use or say the word "Suicide" on TikTok, that would get the video removed. So people say "Unalive" to get around that. This way, they can still talk about difficult topics without the dumb censorship.

If you're seeing it in places where that isn't an issue (like Lemmy, for example) they may just be doing it out of habit.

I think it’s asinine. Rape is a serious subject. I find it insulting when someone “censors” the word in such a ridiculous way. Does the word “rape” make you uncomfortable? WELL, IT SHOULD. It’s sexual assault. You shouldn’t be comfortable thinking about it.

It's really shitty for people that actually want to filter triggering stuff out of their feed.

Putting in stupid characters doesn't make it any less upsetting for the people it upsets, but it does force them to see it because fuck them, apparently.

It's a shitty, entitled thing to do, and people who do it should feel bad about themselves.

Why can't it be normal for everyone just to use the correct words (to me it feels like it'd be kinda insulting to substitute a word like rape because it feels like then you're putting the platform above the very serious topic), then people be able to set up their own filters to filter out words like rape if they don't want to see them.

When asking people, they seem to think it is "rude" to write out the word in full and consider it a confused courtesy.

Whatever the reason, it fucks with people who have filters set to avoid certain topics or just want to skip discourse that uses rude language.

It's shitty and should stop.

it's just a silly thing people keep copying from each other.

It is to get around filters on more oppressive platforms. My recommendation is if you see people self censoring themselves in places where they are free to say the words, tell them to say it!

It’s just as dumb as spelling it f**k everyone still knows what it says and no one should fucking care.

I saw a post somewhere saying that changing 1 letter can prevent it from being searched for by people who just want to troll posts with that particular word

No, you're right, it is stupid. I have to agree it doesn't work, since it largely fails to censor the word for those people the censor was made for. I have seen platforms that do full word censorship (like Steam) and when people post screenshots of "I ♥♥♥♥ you", the only accomplishment isn't making me not think of a slur - it's actually rationalize even harder that they did say one of either Rape or Fuck, nothing else. Congrats censorship, you went from 1 slur, to 2 slurs.

My understanding is that content creators have figured out which words trigger demonetisation of their videos (and to a lesser extent other content) so they've bowdlerised what they say to get around this. Other people presumably picked that up and used it.

It seems pretty useless to me. The words are obviously still legible and comprehensible, so I don’t see how it has a different effect than just typing it out all the way.

I would assume it's mostly habit from platforms with content filters and uncertainty if usage of the word is prohibited despite a lack of filter. And then a dash of "online subculture"

Some proprietary social media (looking at you meta) have filter, removing any sensitive topic. So if you write rape you can't post while if you write r@pe you can.

The ridiculous result is that a health-educator talking about sexual health and condoms will get censored while a teenager twerking in underwear won't.

n was talking about how her cousin was shot and killed for knocking on her neighbor’s door to get her kid’s thing and she used “unalive” to describe it. It was very jarring to hear in such a somber context. It f

It's the same with most ways that we euphemise or censor words. It's so pathetically redundant because everyone knows what the word is supposed.to be. You may as well have said it.

Isn't that because of tiktok* and stuff. Like unalive?

Why would anyone sensor the "rape" word?

I'd rather see it because then folks can set up word filters to get rid of it. Adding random characters in the middle means it is harder to avoid seeing because it is so obvious what the word means.

People also self-censor when they speak in similar ways, like saying "what the F". I don't see why they wouldn't try to express similar notions in text

r@ygold