OK

One word reveals the many ways language is shaped by technology, and vice versa.

“OK” began as a bit of language play—an acronym for all correct—in the mid-nineteenth century, and today it feels ubiquitous. As a word, it appears in many contexts and takes on countless meanings. As an object, however, it tells a story of how technology writes itself into language, permanently altering communication. More than any other word, OK exemplifies this process.

Exploring the details of OK—its shapes and functions as well as its myths and origins—Michelle McSweeney illustrates how language and technology shape each other. Drawing on linguistics, history, and new media studies, McSweeney traces the word from its birth in a penny press, through telephone lines, grammar books, and television signals, and into the digital age.

This book is the latest in the Object Lessons series. Published in association with The Atlantic, it explores the hidden lives of ordinary things and what they can teach us about ourselves and the modern world.