20/08/2026
TLDR: Probably not gonna post here so much anymore. Follow me on BlueSky https://sillyli.ng/CTZPrf We also have a discord server https://discord.gg/silly-linguistics-354690881858568192
Hi guys,
Soon this page will be turning 12. It has been a wild ride. Back in 2014 I was working at a stressful programming job and just hoping things would change and get better. I was struggling at work and I was diagnosed with depression. It was a tough time.
At the time I was watching Game of Thrones and in one scene they are speaking a fictional language called Valyrian. I liked languages at the time but didn't put too much thought or time into it. A few days after that episode aired I was reading on a website that creators of the show had snuck in a Monty Python reference. One of the characters in the show as actually using the French taunter from Monty Python's Holy Grail translated into Valyrian.
Being a fan of Monty Python I had to know more so I found the creator of the language's blog, David Peterson and that was my introduction to linguistics. I used Facebook sometimes in those days so I decided to start a page just to have a place to practise writing and sharing stuff.
I have always loved memes and silly jokes and puns. I started writing about my journey learning linguistics and also rediscovering my love of languages. I guess I have always loved languages but never really pursued it. And then my page just started growing. I reached a 1000 followers which felt surreal. This was the most successful things I have ever done.
And then it just kept growing. On the back of the success of the page, I was able to launch a Patreon and by 2018 I was able to leave my job and do language stuff full time. I was wondering what to put there. So I decided, why not put together a magazine. I love writing and the challenge of putting words together to tell a story or to explore a topic. I was eventually able to get a graphic designer and in 2023 I managed to get a publisher for the magazine. And finally, at the start of 2026 I started a degree in linguistics at a local university. All these developments have been quite a rollercoaster.
I spent most of my life thinking about computers and programming and building a life around tech. And now I am building my life around languages. I only made this shift because of the support, comments and interactions that my page has received. I love talking to people, sharing stuff that makes people happy and makes them laugh. I love interacting with the community. A little pet project that I started in 2014 has grown to a community of around 600 000 people which is mind blowing.
Life is always changing however. Starting from about 2022 the page started slowing down more and more. Likes slowed down and I got fewer comments. Maybe people's tastes or interests have changed. But from early on I decided to not put all my eggs in one basket and I started my own website as an insurance policy. I wanted to make sure I had some place to call my own. And my website has continued to grow over time.
BlueSky recently launched to the public and I have been having positive interactions there and actually getting comments and interaction there like I used to get on Facebook.
Let me just say that I don't think platform hopping is good long term solution. I don't know how well BlueSky will do in the future. I don't know how they fund themselves, if they will change their algorithm, set up, or even introduce an ad model.
But I also can't ignore the growing changes on Facebook. If it was simply changing interests and attitudes, I would accept that. Life is change and I had my time in the sun. But indications from other places are that people are just as interested now as they were before. Actually, they might be more interested. More and more people are making content about languages and linguistics and I feel like my content and people working with me can really make a go of getting cool, fun and intersting stuff out there.
Initially I was just going to chug along since I have different streams of income. But then Facebook informed me that they would no longer be recommending my page. They said not all my posts are original content. From day one I have curated memes for the internet public but have also made my own original content, whether it is original written content such as articles, or memes that poke fun at the language learning experience or at the oddities of world languages.
Facebook wants to prioritise original content. It's the platform and they can do what they want. But it does feel like biting the hand that feeds you. If all readers and all content creators stopped using Facebook right now, Facebook would disappear over night.
I love making content and I want to get it out there. I love showing the connections between things that you might not realise. I love finding connections because it makes the world feel like a much more interesting place than just thinking everything is random. Memes are a part of the internet lifestyle and they aren't going away. By killing pages that use memes, they are turning Facebook into a different place.
I could probably never bring myself to close this page since it's where I started. But I am getting older and I want to build a future for myself and for the people who work for Silly Linguistics (which is a company I set up to support the magazine).
I just wanted to say you don't owe me anything. All I wanted to do was to make memes and write articles and put stuff out there. If you don't want to move platforms or join other apps or go to websites, that's fine.
But if you do want to see where we can go to from here, please join me on BlueSky. Social media companies use to have post timelines be chronological. You would see every post that someone would make. But social media companies worked out they can make more money by optimising engagement. So they began to choose what you see. There are pros and cons to this. The pro is that social media can show you thing you might like. But the con is you start seeing less of the stuff you actively showed an interest in (by clicking like/subscribe/share etc...)
If you don't want another social media in your life, that's fine. I will still post here but probably less because it isn't making much sense either from purely personal point of view because of lack of engagement and less conversation but also from a business sense. I don't know if BlueSky is going to be the next revolution in social media or just a place to make announcements (a bit like a newsletter). We will just have to see.
And if you decide you don't want any social media, you can follow my website where we regularly post fun and interesting language content.
You can follow me on BlueSky here https://sillyli.ng/CTZPrf
You can check out my website Silly Linguistics over here https://sillyli.ng/JNig2n
We are also on Discord if that is more you thing https://discord.gg/silly-linguistics-354690881858568192
However long you have been following the page, I hope you have enjoyed it and why don't we see what the future holds together. Cheers :)
