Media Literacy

A term used like a slur by Swifties who can’t understand criticism.

Taylor’s new album is meant to be bad, which is why it’s so good! People who think otherwise have no media literacy

by Okarun October 9, 2025

medical misogyny

Medical misogyny (n.) — The unconscious, or conscious prejudice that women receive when receiving treatment in healthcare settings such as hospitals, family doctors, or outpatient clinics. Often minimised, and a common refrain is to say it doesn't exist in the 21st century, which is patently false simply by asking any woman her experiences.

The experiences of many women in healthcare can be summarised through the lens of medical misogyny.

by Catmily January 28, 2026

medical darwinism

Medical darwinism (n.) — A state of inequality where access to healthcare is predominantly decided by one's means to pay for treatment, as opposed to having a fair and proportionate system. Medical darwinism is present when barriers to healthcare such as appointment costs, insurance costs, and waiting lists are in place, leading to those with the deepest pockets to have better outcomes in life.

'America's healthcare system is pure medical darwinism, but underfunded single-payer systems which co-exist with private healthcare can lead to similar problems as well.'

by Catmily January 29, 2026

Medi(s)

Similar to Desi, this word is just short for Europeans, North Africans, Anatolians and Middle-Easterners who either completely originate from the Mediterranean region, or who live elsewhere, but still have a significant amount of ancestral DNA from there.

“Constantine, Mo, and Mehmet are all Medi(s) ; ).”

by Amogus Sussi Baka February 6, 2026

Media Sciences

The academic study of everything that comes out of a screen, speaker, or printing press, examining how messages are created, transmitted, and interpreted by an audience that's usually scrolling past them. It's the discipline that explains why news outlets cover the same stories, why your uncle shares articles he clearly hasn't read, and why every movie trailer now has that same "BWAAAA" sound. Media sciences reveal that the medium is the message, and the message is usually "please keep watching, we need ad revenue."

Example: "She got a degree in media sciences and now can't watch a commercial without analyzing its target demographic, psychological manipulation tactics, and questionable gender politics. She misses the days when she could just enjoy a fast-food ad without deconstructing its capitalist agenda."

by Nammugal February 14, 2026

Media Technologies

The tools and platforms that deliver content to our eyeballs and eardrums, from the printing press to the smartphone in your pocket that's currently distracting you from this definition. Media technologies have evolved from Gutenberg's Bible to TikTok dances in roughly 500 years, a pace of change that has left our attention spans in the dust. The latest media technologies promise to connect us, inform us, and entertain us, but mostly they just serve us ads between videos of people falling down.

*Example: "His house was full of media technologies—a 75-inch TV, a soundbar with subwoofer, streaming devices on every screen, and a smart speaker that occasionally mishears conversation and orders pizza. Last night he spent two hours scrolling through options and watched nothing. The technologies had achieved peak performance: infinite choice, zero satisfaction."*

by Nammugal February 14, 2026

Media Engineering

The practice of designing and constructing media systems, platforms, and content with the precision of an engineer building a bridge—except the bridge is made of algorithms, the load is measured in user engagement, and structural failure means everyone starts yelling at each other in the comments. Media engineers decide what you see, when you see it, and how it makes you feel, all while optimizing for "engagement," which is a polite way of saying "keeping you angry enough to stay glued to the screen."

Media Engineering Example: "He was a media engineer who designed the recommendation algorithm for a major video platform. His algorithm learned that users who watch conspiracy theories tend to watch more ads, so it started suggesting increasingly unhinged content. He told himself he was just giving people what they wanted, which is what engineers say when they've built something they probably shouldn't have."

by Nammugal February 14, 2026