Buzzwords crop up regularly, especially when it comes to the tech scene. This sector is in a continuous state of flux, and it is only fair to expect that the buzzwords associated with it also change. However, just because they are buzzwords doesn’t mean that everyone likes using them. Or even hearing them being used.
In a recent survey conducted by Yougov and commissioned by Computeractive ((Computeractive)), tech (or geek as termed by some, although they don’t necessarily mean the same, do they?) buzzwords were placed under the microscope. The survey asked respondents to identify the most annoying new word that has been added to dictionaries in the past year. Making that more specific, the new word has to be due to the influence of technology in daily lives.
And the winner is…
“Sexting!”
I just did a quick check online, and major dictionaries do have an entry for the word. Of course, Wikipedia is expected to have its own entry as well. Here is the definition from no less than Oxford Dictionaries:
sexting
Pronunciation:/?s?kst??/
noun
[mass noun] informalthe sending of sexually explicit photographs or messages via mobile phone:like it or not, sexting is part of growing up in 2010
Origin: early 21st century: blend of sex and texting (see text (verb))
Like it or not, this word has indeed become embedded in our culture!
The word has won the “Unspeakable Award”, as it is supposed to “most likely make you wince, grimace or want to bang your head on the keyboard”. What? Not on your monitor?
In any case, while sexting has been voted as the most annoying tech word in the dictionary, there are others that also made the list. There’s “intexticated”, which refers to texting while driving, which in turn results in the driver being distracted. Then there’s “defriend”, which everyone knows means to remove a person from a social network platform. To be honest, though, I always thought that was “unfriend” and not “defriend”.
So what do you think? Are these words really annoying? Not that I approve of them being in the dictionary, but I am not really bothered by the words – much less get annoyed by them.
Photo via Jason Pier