I was at home yesterday having a discussion with a friend over the the pros and cons of the computer age. Throughout the conversation, he used buzzwords and acronyms which literally flew over my head and out the window. Of course, I could have asked him to elaborate but I didn’t like to stop him in mid-flow.
Anyhow, when he’d gone home, I pondered on whether he thought spouting buzzwords made him look smart and in turn, me stupid. Or was it the other way round. He was the stupid one, as he couldn’t speak plain English and I was the smart one, talking without using precarious words.
I needed to find out more about the use of buzzwords starting with a definition. PC Magazine described them as a term that refers to the latest technology or a term that sounds catchy. In the beginning, everyone uses the terms to appear knowledgeable and cutting edge. However, if not a flash in the pan, new technologies become mainstream, and the words soon become everyday vocabulary.
So what were the current words being used by those in the know? This year, Cramer-Krasselt, the US creative agency released an update to their popular Cultural Dictionary. A collection of words and slang reflecting the changes in our culture, not only in technology but politics and relationships too. Its a fascinating and a comical read, I say that because its hard to imagine being cool using terms like “Mullet Strategy” or “Digi-necker.”
Cultural Dictionary
Undoubtedly, the internet savvy generation dominate what we do, how we do it and now, what we say. It seems if you are serious about technology, culture and emerging trends then you need to understand what’s being said. You’re likely to be considered hip, using the odd buzzword than sticking rigid to the Queen’s English. I realise now that there’s no escape and after all, nobody likes to feel like an outsider. If belonging means expanding my vocabulary with a few fancy words, then I’m in!
