Yhn first seen 10 h ago, last 2 h ago, peak #12
Write Like It's 1866: LLMs Relearn Telegraphese
A new essay argues that large language models are reviving telegraphese, the terse, compressed style engineers used in 1866 to save money per word over the wire. The author draws parallels between cost-driven 19th-century brevity and today's token-based pricing, suggesting prompt-writing is pushing people back toward clipped, abbreviated language. Readers are debating whether this is efficiency or the loss of natural prose.
Why now: People find striking the historical parallel between telegraph-era compression and modern AI token costs, sparking discussion about how technology reshapes writing.
large language modelstelegraphFive Minutes Forward
Rank over time, top of the chart is #1. 32 snapshots from 10 h ago to 2 h ago.
Evidence
- Write Like It's 1866: LLMs Relearn Telegraphese · Theory42 · 78
API: https://socialmediatrends-api.osmike.com/v1/trends/1359758