These are the five words/phrases that I’m entirely sick of right now, and that I’m seeing too much in the tech press and in my Twitter list.
- “Curate” and its variants. People, please. Selecting a few things doesn’t mean that you’re curating anything. You’re making a list, let’s not pretend that it’s anything more than that. Skip the pretension. See this list right here? It’s not curated. It’s me being cranky.
- “Epic”. The Odyssey is an epic. The Loma Prieta earthquake probably qualifies as epic. The dinner you had last night? Not epic. It might have been good, or even great. Let’s reserve “epic” for something that truly is awe-inspiring instead of devaluing it by using it on that’s even slightly good (or slightly bad).
- “Fail”. This is so very overused, especially when it’s all in caps. And when combined with the previous entry, it makes me think that you just have no grasp of what a failure actually is. Your boyfriend didn’t buy you flowers for Valentine’s Day? Not FAIL. Comcast missed their window for appearing at your apartment? This is so expected that it can’t even remotely be considered a failure.
- “Revolutionary”. Egypt? Revolutionary. Your new iPhone app? Not revolutionary.
- “FML”. You forgot paper towels at Target? Your kid is having a tantrum? Barely worthy of an obscenity, let alone a repudiation of your entire life (unless you’ve got the saddest life ever).
Hear hear! I couldn’t agree more.
Every couple of weeks another sand-grain or two like these rumble across my eyes and I could keep adding to your curation– er, list.
An old one that’s reared its head again recently: \creative\ (when used as a noun), popular amongst pretentious graphic designers and advertising writers to describe their job role.
It’s funny you mention that one. I tend see it in the opposite direction: developers and other deeply technical people using “creative” as a noun to describe designers (interaction or visual), writers, and everyone else who is not-them. Coupled with their tone, it’s usually intended as an insult to indicate that the designer is somehow less useful than their lofty development selves. As a researcher, and someone who will flaunt my math and CS degrees as necessary, I’m usually lucky enough to avoid being painted with that brush.
In either usage, it grates on my nerves. Both of them are pretentious in different ways.
So you’re saying that curating is an epic fail? FML, that’s revolutionary!
(sorry!)
I’m impressed that it took until the second comment for someone to try to string them all together!
The last truly epic meal I had was a 12-course odyssey by the end of which, I was actually in fear of exploding, and was turning down the coffee, because I had no guarantee that there was any room in my stomach for it.
A meal whose courses collectively weigh more than you? Epic.
Bob getting an especially good steak at outback? Not Epic.
as if!