Is “Infokhomyak” a Neologism? An Examination of the Word’s History

This article explores the history of the term “infokhomyak,” which was named the Neologism of the Year 2023 in unofficial Internet polls and emerged as a strong contender for Word of the Year through popular vote. The term, roughly translated into English as “digital hoarder” or “info junkie,” is used online to describe individuals who purchase a wide array of digital products and maintain numerous subscriptions, yet lack the time to engage with them for entertainment or educational purposes. While “infokhomyak” has been previously documented, it gained significant media attention only in the 2020s, reflecting contemporary discursive practices and trends in language usage, word formation, and coinage. Appearing to be the latest buzzword, this term encapsulates critical socio-cultural shifts, particularly the increasing integration of digital technologies into daily life, including those driven by artificial intelligence. Originating as an occasionalism in translation, “infokhomyak” found its way into the insular communities of Russian gamers and hackers in the late 1990s, influenced by the Cyberpunk culture. In contemporary usage, “infokhomyak” functions both as a vivid linguacultural zoometaphor — bolstered by the productive word-building pattern that combines the prefix “info” with a noun from the realm of Internet communication — and as a neologism with a distinct area of application, shaped by the pragmatic needs of a limited group of native speakers.