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Words I hate

June 03, 2012 ・ Blog

Happily, other people also hate some words that I hate.

I so much prefer the word ‘invention’ to ‘innovation’; it somehow implies that something might be made, rather than merely PowerPoint-ed – Ben Malbon

To me, ‘innovation’ seems to imply novel rather than clever - new for its own sake, rather than deliberate attempts to improve. ‘Invention’ brings to mind earnest boffins striving to better humankind. ‘Innovation’ brings to mind grasping businessmen striving to find their niches.

I try to avoid the word “content” because I think that “content” auto-commoditizes the value of whatever it is you are offering. Shakespearean plays would sound like terrible wastes of time if they were described as “content.” – Patrick McKenzie

Not actually quite sure why I was reading that, but hey - email newsletters appear to be the future, again. Anyway, yes, ‘content’ is a horribly unspecific term, part of an order to just produce stuff, rather than create heartfelt, valuable things that matter. No one cares about content, and nor should they. And if you’re asked to make some, it seems certain that the person who asked for it doesn’t, either.