Calling BS on buzzwords isn’t by any means a novel endeavor—the internet’s continued crusade to eradicate the word “disruption” certainly attests to this. But despite all the colorful backlash on social networks, these vague, glossy topics—think “digital transformation,” “big data,” and “Internet of Things”—are still pervasive, from news headlines to marketing content to company websites.
Buzzwords do have their time and a place. Just as many clichés can be traced back to the writings of some of history’s greatest philosophers, buzzwords are buzzy for a reason—they often come from a place of revolution and pioneering. Buzzwords themselves aren’t the problem. Overuse, when combined with a failure to define them for a target audience, is.
But before we explore that idea further, let’s first draw a clear line between buzzwords and contemporary, idiomatic jargon. Using jargon, or corporate-speak, is a harmless, often unconscious shorthand for…
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Source : fastcompany.com
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