Metaverse Hilariously Loses Word Of The Year – SlashGear

Despite Mark Zuckerberg’s best efforts to make the metaverse a reality, and the word outperforming its competitors in terms of usage statistics, it still managed to lose to “goblin mode,” which also beat out “#IStandWith.” “Goblin mode” is a term which Oxford defines as slang to express “unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy behavior” that flies in the face of social norms. Attending Zoom meetings in a pair of stained sweatpants, with your camera off, while watching Netflix on the side would be the embodiment of someone in goblin mode. Goblin mode is perhaps a response to trying times making people reconsider what level of comfort they’re willing to sacrifice to fit in socially.

The other contender, #IStandWith, has been around on social media since 2009, according to Oxford’s Word of the Year announcement, but rose in popularity in 2022 as a response to the invasion of Ukraine. Before 2022, the hashtag was also used to show support for a number of things; from the Isreali-Palestine crisis to the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard court trial. 

At the end of the day, the Word of the Year campaign by Oxford is meant to represent how people relate to and use language in their daily lives. As such, it seems somewhat fitting that self-indulgence win out over the machinations of a social media billionaire and a metaverse that has thus far failed to capture the imagination of the general public.