Buzzword Bingo...

Buzzword bingo is a phrase that is now entered the standard lexicon of And Digital and is used primarily to describe the overuse of trendy industry standard phrases - especially those that reference digital technologies and social media platforms.

But when is a buzzword merited and when is it simply an exercise in ego massaging by its user?

I remember when I first started in web design, we all referred to website designs (and I mean flat visuals such as jpeg's) as GUI's. It sounded very exotic and impressive and no client knew what we meant when we used the phrase. Now we refer to website designs as website designs.

I also recall going to a meeting some years ago with a very pompous account manager who tried his damndest to completely bewilder the poor client with a stream of nonsensical buzzwords and even more confusing explanations of each term. I think his stupidity reached its peak when he referred to a 'vortal'. When questioned he explained a vortal was a vertically integrated portal. The client not knowing what a portal was asked for further clarification to which the account manager said that a portal was a 'homogenised collective of interlocking doorways that sat within cyberspace'. I was confused and I was presenting the brief alongside him.

I guess the point of this entry is to question when a buzzword adds to or detracts from a subject or piece of technology. To describe entries on Twitter as Tweets makes sense and seems to be a natural progression of the language of social media. Likewise Mash-ups as a term does what it says on the tin. Take two pieces of content and mash them together to make something new. The ones that get me are the confusing or needless ones such as SERP (which stands for Search Engine Results Page) and Blogosphere which somehow seeks to exclude bloggers from the real world and place them into an artificial made up world with it's own title. I think every buzzword should have a defined purpose and should make both the user and recipients' lives easier from its use.

At the end of the day And towers is on the Northern Riveria in the republic of rainy Mancunia so when I hear some 'suit' talking about 'Blue Sky Thinking' I can only conclude he is daydreaming about his summer holidays.