The term fake has become the most discussed foreign loan in both media and social networks, a finding highlighted by a study from Pro-Vision Communications and reviewed by socialbites.ca.
In the study, more than 5,800 items analyzing substitutions in media coverage and roughly 340,000 posts about English usage in the media between January 1 and September 18, 2023 were examined. The analysis also covered posts and comments in the most active communities on VKontakte where the topic of replacing foreign terms is frequently raised.
As a result, the word fake appears in media coverage on average 215 times per day. The term case ranked second, while life hack appeared in the top three. Coworking followed in fourth place, and hype rounded out the top five. Additional terms in the top ten included food court, user, deadline, hate and workshop.
Analysts noted that terms such as facap and rofl, alongside the seemingly popular open field, received little media attention in comparison.
The discussion around the purity of the Russian language and the restrictions on Anglicisms in rule-making, office work, and toponymy is most pronounced in the Krasnodar Territory (about 6.5% of total publications), with St. Petersburg showing notable activity (approximately 4%), and Sverdlovsk Region at about 3.8%. The primary drivers appear to be regional government initiatives aimed at promoting linguistic standards.
Around three-quarters of users, 75.5%, expressed a neutral stance toward the project. Another 17.8% deemed it pointless, inappropriate, or untimely, while a small minority, 6.7%, supported moving away from English terms. The overall sentiment reflects a cautious public response with some curiosity about policy implications and language norms.
Historically, the State Duma has intermittently expressed irritation with the use of foreign words in public discourse, signaling ongoing political interest in language policy and cultural heritage. The current landscape shows a widespread awareness that language choices in media shape perception and identity, especially in a multilingual, digital-information ecosystem where Anglicisms and foreign terms frequently surface in business, technology, and everyday life. The study’s findings underscore the need for clear communication strategies that balance modernization with linguistic heritage, particularly in official communications and educational contexts. [Citation: Pro-Vision Communications; reviewed by socialbites.ca]