Jump to content

Buzzword

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A word cloud of buzzwords related to big data

A buzzword is a word or phrase, new or already existing, that becomes popular for a period of time. Buzzwords often derive from technical terms yet often have much of the original technical meaning removed through fashionable use, being simply used to impress others. Some buzzwords retain their true technical meaning when used in the correct contexts, for example artificial intelligence.[1][2] Buzzwords often originate in jargon, acronyms, or neologisms.[3] Examples of overworked business buzzwords include synergy, vertical, dynamic, cyber and strategy.

It has been stated that businesses could not operate without buzzwords, as they are the shorthands or internal shortcuts that make perfect sense to people informed of the context.[4] However, a useful buzzword can become co-opted into general popular speech and lose its usefulness. According to management professor Robert Kreitner, "Buzzwords are the literary equivalent of Gresham's law. They will drive out good ideas."[5] Buzzwords, or buzz-phrases such as "all on the same page", can also be seen in business as a way to make people feel like there is a mutual understanding. As most workplaces use a specialized jargon, which could be argued is another form of buzzwords, it allows quicker communication. Indeed, many new hires feel more like "part of the team" the quicker they learn the buzzwords of their new workplace. Buzzwords permeate people's working lives so much that many do not realize that they are using them. The vice president of CSC Index, Rich DeVane, notes that buzzwords describe not only a trend, but also what can be considered a "ticket of entry" with regards to being considered as a successful organization – "What people find tiresome is each consulting firm's attempt to put a different spin on it. That's what gives bad information."[6]

Buzzwords also feature prominently in politics, where they can result in a process which "privileges rhetoric over reality, producing policies that are 'operationalized' first and only 'conceptualized' at a later date". The resulting political speech is known for "eschewing reasoned debate (as characterized by the use of evidence and structured argument), instead employing language exclusively for the purposes of control and manipulation".[7]

Definition

[edit]

The Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines a buzzword (hyphenating the term as buzz-word) as a slogan, or as a fashionable piece of jargon: a chic, fashionable, voguish, trendy word a la mode.

It has been asserted that buzzwords do not simply appear, they are created by a group of people working within a business as a means to generate hype.[8] Buzzwords are most closely associated with management and have become the vocabulary that is known as "management speak": Using a pompous or magisterial term, of or relating to a particular subject employed to impress those outside of the field of expertise.

It could also be called buzz phrase or loaded word.[1]

What this means is that when a manager uses a said buzzword, most other people do not hear the meaning, and instead just see it as a buzzword. However it has been said that buzzwords are almost a "necessary evil" of management, as a way to inspire their team, but also stroke their own egos.[9] With that being said, a buzzword is not necessarily a bad thing, as many disciplines thrive with the introduction of new terms which can be called buzzwords. These can also cross over into pop culture and indeed even into everyday life.[8] With media channels now operating through many media, such as television, radio, print and increasingly digital (especially with the rise of social media), a "buzzword" can catch on and rapidly be adapted through the world.

Origin

[edit]

The origin of buzzwords can be seen in Hallgren & Weiss (1946) as coming from business students studying at Harvard University as a way to help them gain better results from their studies. Such language terms were collated[by whom?] and then became what is known today as "buzzwords". During the early years of buzzwords[when?], buzzwords were used by students as a means to enable them to quickly recall items of importance. As an example, "If his analysis does not highlight the most important problems he has 'poor focus', and if he fails to emphasize important recommendations he will be accused of 'tinkering'. If the sequence for the 'implementation' of the recommendations is not good it is a matter of 'poor timing'. To succeed, the student must 'get on top of the problem'. He must 'hit the problem' and not 'shadow box' it. If he cannot do these things he might just as well 'turn in his suit'".[10]

Students have used many different buzzwords to describe the situation that they are in, and how this might affect a moment in their everyday life. From studying these business students, Hallgren & Weiss (1946) noticed that business students could speak with apparent authority. It also seemed[to whom?] as if using the right buzzword was more important than what the student came up with as an answer. Buzzwords have a strong influence on business culture and are commonly used in business speak.

[edit]

Jon Keegan of the Wall Street Journal has published a Business Buzzwords Generator, which allows readers to use a randomizer to assemble "meaningless business phrases using overused business buzzwords" – for example, "This product will incentivize big data and demonstrate innovative performance in the playing field."[11]

Forbes hosts an annual "Jargon Madness" game, in which 32 of "corporate America's most insufferable expressions" are played off against each other in a bracketed, basketball-style tournament to determine the buzzword of the year.[12]

LinkedIn publishes an annual list of buzzwords to avoid in creating résumés (British English: CVs) – "trite, empty words that may sound good to your ear but say almost nothing". The 2014 list: motivated, passionate, creative, driven, extensive experience, responsible, strategic, track record, organizational, and expert.[13]

When people are approaching a meeting where they expect the presenters to use many buzzwords, they may prepare a game of buzzword bingo, where players score points each time a particular buzzword is used.[14]

Patch Products has published a board game called Buzzword.[15]

The "Weird Al" Yankovic album Mandatory Fun contains the song "Mission Statement", which is a long list of essentially meaningless buzzwords.[16]

Examples

[edit]

General conversation

[edit]

Education

[edit]

Business, sales and marketing

[edit]

Science and technology

[edit]

Politics and current affairs

[edit]

See also

[edit]
  • Ambiguity – Type of uncertainty of meaning in which several interpretations are plausible
  • Buzzword bingo – Bingo-style word game
  • Buzzword compliant – Suggests product supports fashionable features
  • Catchphrase – Phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance
  • Corporate jargon, also known as Marketing speak – Buzzwords and specialized vocabulary used by businesspeople
  • Gartner hype cycle – Graphical presentation of the maturity of specific technologies
  • Virtue word – frequently used word in political discourse that uses an abstract concept to develop support
  • Law of the instrument, also known as Golden hammer – Over-reliance on a familiar tool
  • Loaded language – Rhetoric used to influence an audience
  • Marketing buzz – Interaction which amplifies marketing message
  • Memetics – Study of self-replicating units of culture
  • Pleonasm – Redundancy in linguistic expression
  • Psychobabble – A form of speech or writing that uses psychological jargon in a misleading way
  • Weasel word – Words or phrases using vague claims to appear meaningful

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Buzzword". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  2. ^ Compare: "buzzword n. orig. and chiefly U.S. a keyword; a catchword or expression currently fashionable; a term used more to impress than to inform, esp. a technical or jargon term." "buzz". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  3. ^ definition of buzzword Archived January 15, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. Grammar.About.com.
  4. ^ Ettorre, Barbara (September 1997). "What's the Next Business Buzzword?". Management Review. 86 (8). Retrieved September 6, 2015. How can corporate America operate without buzzwords? They will be with us always because business organizations are a ready market for them. ... These are internal shortcuts. To outsiders, they might be little understood, but to everyone in the organization, they make perfect sense.
  5. ^ Ettorre, Barbara (September 1997). "What's the Next Business Buzzword?". Management Review. 86 (8). Retrieved September 6, 2015. Robert Kreitner, senior lecturer and professor of management at Arizona State University, equates buzzwords with the economic theory holding that bad money drives out good money. 'Buzzwords are the literary equivalent of Gresham's Law', Kreitner says. 'They will drive out good ideas [...].'
  6. ^ Ettore, B. (1997, September). What's the next business buzzword? Management Review, 33–35.
  7. ^ Loughlin 2002, pp. 229–242.
  8. ^ a b Collins 2000.
  9. ^ Cluley 2013.
  10. ^ Hallgren & Weiss 1946, p. 263.
  11. ^ Keegan, Jon. "Business Buzzwords Generator". Wall Street Journal:Projects. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  12. ^ Nelson, Brett (February 5, 2013). "Business Jargon Bracketology: Which Annoying Corporate Buzzword, Cliché Or Euphemism Will Win Forbes' NCAA-Style Tourney? Vote Now!". Forbes. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  13. ^ Adams, Susan (January 21, 2015). "Ten Buzzwords To Cut From Your LinkedIn Profile In 2015". Forbes. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  14. ^ Belling, Larry (2000). "Buzzword Bingo". Writers Dreamtools. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  15. ^ "Buzzword®". PlayMonster. Patch Products, Inc. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  16. ^ Strecker, Erin (July 21, 2014). "'Weird Al' Yankovic Announces His 'Mission Statement' in Final Video". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Buzzwords Gone Bad". Marketing Today. Archived from the original on October 24, 2007. Retrieved April 4, 2008. The national poll includes responses from 150 senior executives – including those from human resources, finance and marketing departments – with the nation's 1,000 largest companies
  18. ^ Geddes, Linda (December 2, 2012). "Chaos Is Good for You". Slate.com. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Columbus Alive: Buzz Kill". Columbus Alive.
  20. ^ "MBA Jargon Watch". johnsmurf.com.
  21. ^ "Georgia Aspires to "Lead the Nation in Improving Student Achievement" US Education Delivery Institute "Georgia Aspires to "Lead the Nation in Improving Student Achievement" | U.S. Education Delivery Institute". Archived from the original on May 2, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  22. ^ Yglesias, Matthew (May 1, 2013). "Stop 'Disrupting' Everything". Slate.com. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  23. ^ Diversity, more than a buzz word, The Daily Campus, February 19, 2004
  24. ^ Joan Tallada (October 9, 2013). "Equity is the New Buzzword". Barcelona Institute for Global Health [es]. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  25. ^ Hana Chandoul (January 3, 2024). "I'm Tired of Hearing the Word Equity". Buckeye Community Hope Foundation. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  26. ^ Ginette Hounkanrin (July 31, 2024). "Equity Must Be More Than a Buzzword". Pathfinder International. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  27. ^ "Penn State University Press: Globalization: Buzzword or New Phenomenon?". Archived from the original on September 1, 2006.
  28. ^ "13 Buzzwords to Stop Using". November 5, 2012.
  29. ^ a b c d e "Business buzzword hall of fame". Blethen Maine Newspapers. September 2002. Archived from the original on December 12, 2007. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
  30. ^ Frangos, Alex (December 12, 2014). "China's 'New Normal' Is Dose of Old Reality". Wall Street Journal.
  31. ^ a b c Yoskovitz, Benjamin (October 3, 1998). The Buzzword Bingo Book: The Complete, Definitive Guide to the Underground Workplace Game of Doublespeak. Villard. ISBN 9780375753480.
  32. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Cnet.com's Top 10 Buzzwords". CNET. CBS Interactive.
  33. ^ http://www.thedailymuse.com/career/business-jargon/ Business Buzzwords to Banish from your Vocabulary, by Anneke Jong, September 15, 2011 accessed 7 Sep 2012
  34. ^ a b c Is it time to buck the buzzword trend?, The Age
  35. ^ Tétreault, Mary Ann; Teske, Robin L. (2003). Partial Truths and the Politics of Community, Volume 2. University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 9781570034862.
  36. ^ "AFRL partners with entrepreneurs to light the way for the warfighter". Wright-Patterson AFB. March 2, 2018.
  37. ^ "American School Board Journal: Case Studies". Archived from the original on February 2, 2007.
  38. ^ Watson, Bruce. "Buzzword of the Week: Wheelhouse".
  39. ^ Kim Wolf, Mikyung; Crosson, Amy C.; Resnick, Lauren B. (January 2006). "Accountable Talk in Reading Comprehension Instruction: CSE Technical Report 670" (PDF). Learning and Research Development Center, University of Pittsburgh. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 5, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  40. ^ Killion, Kevin. "Education Buzzwords: Image and Reality". The Illinois Loop.
  41. ^ Abate, Tom. "Would Kids Be Better Off If Schools Were Run Like Business? Silicon Valley execs propose ballot initiative". SFGate.
  42. ^ Chris Opsal, "Engagement: A Brief Visual Overview of an Educational Buzzword" https://attendengageinvest.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/engagement-a-brief-visual-overview-of-an-educational-buzzword/
  43. ^ Michael D. Spiegler, "Reflections on the 2010 Student Engagement Seminar" [1]
  44. ^ Kenny, G. Kenny, D. and Dumont, R. (1995) Mission and Place: Strengthening Learning and Community Through Campus Design. Oryx/Greenwood. p. 37
  45. ^ 'Analytics' buzzword needs careful definition. 7 February 2006. Accessed on: 6 January 2010
  46. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Buzzword Bingo". evolt.org.
  47. ^ a b "India Daily: The coming wave of Knowledge Process Outsourcing". Archived from the original on April 18, 2007.
  48. ^ "BPO Adaptability: Boardroom Buzzword or Competitive Advantage?". Multichannel Merchant.
  49. ^ McFedries, Paul. "buzzword-compliant - Word Spy". wordspy.com.
  50. ^ "FindArticles.com - CBSi". findarticles.com.
  51. ^ "'Come To Jesus Moment' Is The Most Annoying Business Expression On Earth". Forbes.
  52. ^ "Neegzistuoja - Serveriai.lt". demo.moneymakers.lt.
  53. ^ a b Peacock, Louisa (May 15, 2014). "So, office jargon: The 19 worst offenders in management speak". Archived from the original on January 12, 2022 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  54. ^ "What's hiding behind the buzzwords in job ads?". Fortune.
  55. ^ "Learnings - Enable". Archived from the original on February 2, 2013.
  56. ^ a b c "The WordSpy: Business buzzwords category". Archived from the original on March 29, 2007.
  57. ^ "Funky Dragon : Buzz words". Archived from the original on October 25, 2007. Retrieved November 17, 2008.
  58. ^ Slattery, Laura (December 29, 2011). "What looms large on the media landscape as we hurtle towards 2012?". Irish Times.
  59. ^ James, Geoffrey (September 8, 2014). "7 Overused Marketing Buzzwords (and What to Say Instead)". Inc.com.
  60. ^ Power, Carla; Gatsiounis, Ioannis (April 16, 2007). "Meeting the Halal Test". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 22, 2007.
  61. ^ "25 Essential Digital Marketing Terms You MUST Know | MarketingGuru". March 26, 2020.
  62. ^ McFedries, Paul (October 19, 1996). "low-hanging fruit". Word Spy.
  63. ^ Koizumi, Masumi (December 2, 2019). "Japanese rugby's 'One Team' motto declared buzzword of the year". japantimes.co.jp/.
  64. ^ Watson, Bruce. "Buzzword of the Week: Bringing the 'Pain Point'". DailyFinance.com.
  65. ^ Burn-Callander, Rebecca. "Ten tired job ad buzzwords". ManagementToday.co.uk. Haymarket Business Interactive.
  66. ^ "Don't Believe Apple's Privacy Grandstanding" – via www.youtube.com.
  67. ^ "Will Apple Ever Leave China?" – via www.youtube.com.
  68. ^ Global Business Watch: Rightshoring: The Latest Outsourcing Buzzword Archived August 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  69. ^ Cohan, Peter E. (2006). "The Content-Free Buzzword-Compliant Vocabulary List" (PDF). pragmaticmarketing.com. 4 (2): 18.
  70. ^ a b c d e f g h "Computer Glossary, Computer Terms - Technology Definitions and Cheat Sheets from WhatIs.com - The Tech Dictionary and IT Encyclopedia". techtarget.com.
  71. ^ "The new business buzzword is: Sustainability » Business » EagleTribun…". archive.is. January 22, 2013. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  72. ^ The dictionary definition of Water under the bridge at Wiktionary
  73. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Kender, David (January 4, 2017). "Get Caught Up on TV Buzzwords like UHD, HDR, and OLED". Reviewed.
  74. ^ Horaczek, Stan (January 9, 2019). "A handy guide to the tech buzzwords from CES 2019". Popular Science. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  75. ^ "Consumer Reports Online". consumerreports.org. Archived from the original on July 10, 2013. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  76. ^ Wiebe, Jennifer (January 1, 1997). "Benchmarking 101". AllBusiness. Archived from the original on October 25, 2007.
  77. ^ Pelt, Mason (October 26, 2015). ""Big Data" is an over used buzzword and this Twitter bot proves it". SiliconAngle. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  78. ^ Griffith, Erin. "187 things the blockchain is supposed to fix". Wired. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  79. ^ a b c d e IT Toolbox: Knowledge Management Knowledge Base Archived February 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  80. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Online Consultation Technologies Centre of Expertise – Glossary". February 25, 2005. Archived from the original on February 25, 2005.
  81. ^ Ford, Sam (January 19, 2007). "The Convergence Manifesto I: Convergence--The Buzzword". Futures of Entertainment.
  82. ^ Cukier, Kenneth; Mayer-Schoenberger, Viktor (2013). "The Rise of Big Data". Foreign Affairs. 92 (May/June): 28–40. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  83. ^ "OKAIRP 2005 Fall Conference, Arizona State University" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 1, 2014.
  84. ^ Press, Gil (August 19, 2013). "Data Science: What's The Half-Life Of A Buzzword?". Forbes.
  85. ^ The term deep learning is hype i.e. exaggeration for the following reason: Hofstadter, Douglas. "Reflections on Machine Translation". youtube.com. Universität Köln. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  86. ^ Hess, Ken. "2014's top ten technology buzzwords to learn and to avoid". ZDNet. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  87. ^ Trenka, Tom (April 2002). "Coding For Portability, Part 2". 13thparallel.org.
  88. ^ "Industry Watch: Behind the APM and DevOps buzzwords". SD Times. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  89. ^ Test-driven development, Behavior-driven development, Feature-driven development
  90. ^ "InsideKnowledge Magazine: The winning formula: A blended approach to cross-platform content". ikmagazine.com.
  91. ^ Yoon, Andrew (May 14, 2012). "Black Ops 2 studio head defends lack of 'new engine'". Shacknews.
  92. ^ "Enterprise Service Bus (ESB): Lasting concept or latest buzzword?". SearchSOA.
  93. ^ a b c "UHD, HDR, WCG Offer New Options for Content Creators and Consumers". Technicolor.
  94. ^ "HTML Standard". html.spec.whatwg.org.
  95. ^ "3DEXPERIENCE Platform". my.3dexperience.3ds.com.
  96. ^ a b "Nokia - Networks & Technologies". Nokia. Archived from the original on December 12, 2006. Retrieved April 7, 2007.
  97. ^ "Internet of Things". Microsoft.com.
  98. ^ JavaScript was named this way by Netscape to confuse the unwary into thinking it had something to do with Java, the buzzword of the day, and it succeeded. The two languages are entirely distinct. ddaa. "What's the difference between JavaScript and Java?". stackoverflow.com. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  99. ^ Fischer, Sara (November 16, 2021). ""Metaverse" is Wall Street's new favorite buzzword". www.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  100. ^ Herrman, John; Browning, Kellen (July 10, 2021). "Are We in the Metaverse Yet?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  101. ^ "The Hindu Business Line: Mobile is the buzzword". blonnet.com. September 6, 2020.
  102. ^ University of Minnesota, Center for Cognitive Sciences: The modularity of mind Archived 2007-04-07 at the Wayback Machine
  103. ^ Williams, Christopher (August 11, 2006). "Sun takes Storagetek modular". theregister.co.uk.
  104. ^ "UMaine opens state-of-the-art lab". Piscataquis County Economic Development Council (PCEDC). Archived from the original on August 9, 2007.
  105. ^ Lee, Chris (December 23, 2019). "Why I dislike what "quantum supremacy" is doing to computing research". arstechnica.com/.
  106. ^ Meijer, Gerard (2008). Smart Sensor Systems. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9780470866924.
  107. ^ "Zend Developer Zone: An Interview With George Schlossnagle". Archived from the original on February 17, 2007.
  108. ^ "Spie Newsroom: OE Reports archives". oemagazine.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2006.
  109. ^ Transmedia tales and the future of storytelling Archived January 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Wired UK
  110. ^ Rasiej, Andrew (January 4, 2007). "Voter-Generated Content: A Better Buzzword". Personal Democracy Media. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021.
  111. ^ "Vortal Combat: The Early Years". businessweek.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2001.
  112. ^ Locke, Taylor (December 20, 2021). "To Elon Musk, Web3 seems more like a 'marketing buzzword' than a reality". CNBC. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  113. ^ "Communication Arts Magazine: Web ReDesign: Workflow that Works". commarts.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2007.
  114. ^ Stewart, Amy (March 29, 2017). "Political jargon - favourite phrases". BBC News.
  115. ^ "What is "political capital," anyway?". Slate Magazine. December 2004.
  116. ^ Verdin, Mike (October 3, 2002). "Hard hat time for rail champion". Business. BBC News.
  117. ^ "The Top 8 Political Buzzwords of 2016". Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  118. ^ "From woke to gammon: Buzzwords by the people who coined them". The Guardian. December 25, 2019.
  119. ^ "The buzzword "woke" becomes political issue and spotlights America's divisions". October 13, 2022.

Sources

[edit]
  • Cluley, Robert (January 11, 2013). "What Makes a Management Buzzword Buzz?". Organization Studies. 34: 33–43. doi:10.1177/0170840612464750. S2CID 143649572.
  • Collins, David (2000). Management Fads and Buzzwords: Critical-Practical Perspectives. Psychology Press.
  • Hallgren, F. M.; Weiss, H. (1946). "'Buzz words' at the 'B School'". American Speech.
  • Loughlin, Michael (May 2002). "On the buzzword approach to policy formation". Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice. 8 (2): 229–242. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2753.2002.00361.x. PMID 12180370.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Negus, K.; Pickering, M. (2004). Creativity, Communication and Cultural Value. Sage Publishing.
  • Godin, B. (2006). "The Knowledge-based Economy: Conceptual Framework or Buzzword?". The Journal of Technology Transfer. 31 (1): 17–30. doi:10.1007/s10961-005-5010-x. S2CID 154304268.
[edit]
  • The dictionary definition of buzzword at Wiktionary
  • The dictionary definition of buzz-phrase at Wiktionary
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Buzzword&oldid=1252881957"