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Hello, Curse and Coffee friends,
Today, we explore slop.
Hit reply and let us know what you think (we read all of your kind words).
Coffee at the ready…
The Big Sip
The take: The dictionary legitimised what the internet already knew.
What happened: Merriam-Webster announced Monday that "slop" is its 2025 Word of the Year. Defined as "digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence."
Why it matters: When the dictionary names your output, you've become a category. AI content is no longer novel. It's a noun (and not a flattering one).
What to watch: Merriam-Webster joins Oxford, Cambridge, Collins, and Macquarie in designating a 2025 word that reflects anxieties about AI. The dictionaries are voting in lockstep.
The framing is deliberate: this isn't fear of AI. It's a mockery. The dictionary positioned "slop" as the public pushing back, not panicking.
Sponsor Break
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Here’s Your Brew
The flood of slop in 2025 included "absurd videos, off-kilter advertising images, cheesy propaganda, fake news that looks pretty real, junky AI-written books, 'workslop' reports that waste coworkers' time… and lots of talking cats."
That's the dictionary's own list.
The volume is the point. AI doesn't need to be good to dominate feeds. It just needs to be cheap and endless.
Since ChatGPT launched, the average length of LinkedIn posts has increased by 107%.
AI-generated posts spiked 189% between January and February 2023, then leveled off. The number didn't climb higher. It just stayed.
The dictionary is celebrating the resistance.
"In 2025, amid all the talk about AI threats, slop set a tone that's less fearful, more mocking."
The word itself is pushback.
Two Sides, One Mug
Pro: AI tools help non-native speakers polish their writing, beat writer's block, and ship faster. AI-assisted posts get 45% less engagement anyway. The market sorts it out.
Con: LinkedIn offers Premium subscribers its own AI writing tools to "rewrite" posts, profiles, and direct messages. The platform isn't fighting slop. It's selling shovels.
Our read: The dictionary picked an insult. That tells you everything you need to know.
Receipt of the Day
[Primary] Kids Can Press statement, December 1, 2025
"Franklin the Turtle is a beloved Canadian icon who has inspired generations of children and stands for kindness, empathy, and inclusivity. We strongly condemn any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin's name or image."
Why it matters: Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth posted an AI-generated image of Franklin in tactical gear, firing a rocket-propelled grenade at boats from a helicopter, captioned "For your Christmas wish list." A children's character weaponised for a war crimes joke. That's the 2025 slop ceiling.
Spit Take
AI-generated LinkedIn posts get 45% less engagement than human-written ones. The audience knows. — Originality.AI
Your Coffee Break Links (and water cooler chatter)
How LinkedIn opened the door to AI slop—including by selling AI writing tools to Premium subscribers. Fast Company
Other Merriam-Webster finalists included "touch grass," "performative," and "six seven." PBS
"A fitting Word of the Year which reflects one of 2025's main sources of concern." Euronews
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The dictionary called AI content "slop." Fair?
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