Why do corporations speak the way they do?
Today, I can barely tell anyone apart. Many of the Substacks I follow use these big, figurative words that don’t really make sense in an attempt to go viral, which on this platform means getting subscribers and notes and comments. It’s like there’s this internet language that “works” for engagement (literal language, but also sense of style, and a... See more
Emily Sundberg • The Machine in the Garden. - By Emily Sundberg - Feed Me
People glom onto words and stories that are often just stand-ins for real action and meaning. Advertisers look for words that imply a product’s value and use that as a substitute for value itself. Companies constantly tell us about their commitment to excellence, implying that this means they will make only top-shelf products. Words like quality
... See moreAmy Wallace • Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
I think about how this shows up at work. How we learn to say “challenging” when we mean “impossible”, “an exciting opportunity” when we mean “a crisis”, “feedback” when we mean criticism that hurts. As if the real words were too dangerous to use.