Our 5 favorite jargon words for 2010

Christine Zender — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:41:15 +0000

We’re pretty optimistic about the opportunity 2010 brings for new jargon words. It’s early days yet, but we’re seeing—and creating—some good ones. The following list includes our early favorites.

1. Advertubing (noun)

Definition: Advertising created specifically for online mediums, a la YouTube.
Why we hate it: If we don’t watch ads on TV anymore, do we really need them on YouTube?

2. Bitch-check (noun, verb)

Definition: The act of asking someone to review a written communication for potentially inflammatory language. “Bill, can you bitch-check this email for me? I don’t want to make David mad.”
Why we love it: It’s much easier to say than, “Can you review this communication for potentially inflammatory language?”

3. Buffering (verb)

Definition: The period of time that you’re technically disabled while learning to use a new technology or device. “Don’t text Chris right now; she has a new phone and she’s buffering.”
Why we love it: With the speed of technology change and the necessity of being wired 24/7, we need a term for this.

4. Squirrel! (interjection)

Definition: From “Up,” one of our favorite movies of 2009, this interjection denotes an abrupt break in thought or attention.
Why we love it: We love the idea of 1. Talking dogs, and 2. Talking dogs as a symbol of our increasingly fractured attention spans.

5. Social netlurking (noun, verb)