Socially Awkward Phrases Now Mainstream in Post-Pandemic World

Linguists have documented a troubling rise in socially awkward expressions becoming normalized since 2020, with 78% of conversations now containing at least one "Wait, what were we talking about?" or nervous laughter substituting actual responses. The phenomenon, dubbed "Conversational Long COVID," manifests in verbal tics like answering "You're welcome" before being thanked or saying "Love you" to customer service reps. "We've collectively forgotten how to human," said Dr. Emily Zhou, showing transcripts where "Sorry, I zoned out" appears every 2.7 sentences. The most common offenders? People who narrate their own typing ("Just sending you a quick email... about... the... thing...") and those who respond to texts with "Absolutely!" regardless of context. Tech companies are scrambling to update autocorrect to handle these verbal stumbles, while etiquette coaches now offer "small talk booster shots." The only silver lining? Everyone's too busy cringing at their own awkwardness to notice yours.