red light fever n. 1. excitement or unusual behavior when confronting a recording device, specifically: nervousness, giddiness, or talkativeness in front of a live microphone or video camera; the desiring or seeking of media attention. 2. in vehicles, a tendency to have a false start during a race; to run a red light. Editorial Note: Television cameras and radio microphones almost always have a light on them or nearby that indicates “recording” or “on the air.” (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The so-called “lifestyle influencer accent” you hear in videos on TikTok and YouTube, where someone speaks with rising tones at the end of sentences and phrases, suggesting that they’re about to say something important, is a form of what linguists...
Aaron in Los Angeles, California, notes while using public transit in Britain he and other passengers were instructed to alight from the front, meaning “exit the car from the front.” Alight comes from an Old English word alihtan, literally, to...