Goblins are, seemingly, everywhere these days.
Hilariously, as reported by Wired, OpenAI has a bit of a goblin problem.
The instructions in Codex CLI, a command line tool for using AI to generate code, state that you should “never talk about goblins, gremlins, raccoons, trolls, ogres, pigeons, or other animals or creatures unless it is absolutely and unambiguously relevant to the user's query.”
Some social media users have noticed that OpenAI’s models sometimes become obsessed with goblins, as well as other creatures, when used to power OpenClaw, a tool that lets AI run apps running on your computer.
Fairytales, fantasy books, movies, video games, and (now) AI hallucinations aside, the internet’s obsession with behaving goblins, goblin behavior, and goblin-dom is actually quite recent.
In 2022, the Oxford Word of the Year, chosen by the public, was ‘goblin mode.’ The slang term basically refers to behavior that is "unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy.”
The BBC reports that ‘goblin mode’ won by a landslide, making up 93% of the total with a whopping 318,956 votes. Typically, people use ‘goblin mode’ in expressions such as ‘to go goblin mode’ or ‘I am in goblin mode.’
Being in goblin mode essentially means that you are rejecting social norms or expectations. It means living authentically, no matter how unglamorous the reality, and steering clear of ‘perfect’ curation and filters.
The term itself, goblin mode, first started appearing back in 2009, but only went truly viral in 2022. The restrictions during the pandemic were suddenly eased, and many people realized that they didn’t want to go back to how they lived before the lockdowns.
“Given the year we've just experienced, 'goblin mode' resonates with all of us who are feeling a little overwhelmed at this point. It's a relief to acknowledge that we're not always the idealized, curated selves that we're encouraged to present on our Instagram and TikTok feeds,” said Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages.
As The Guardian points out, goblin mode is the opposite of trying to be the best version of yourself. By embracing your inner goblin, you are rejecting things like getting up early to exercise, doing elaborate skincare routines, eating nutritious (if sometimes icky) food, and posting it all on social media to get praise.
Your inner goblin is, essentially, rebelling against the unattainable aesthetic standards and unsustainable lifestyles that you see while scrolling on social media.
“Goblin mode really does speak to the times and the zeitgeist, and it is certainly a 2022 expression. People are looking at social norms in new ways. It gives people the license to ditch social norms and embrace new ones,” American linguist and lexicographer Ben Zimmer explained the significance of the phrase and the shift in society.
