I am not sure why — let’s blame it to 140 character limit imposed by Twitter — but I am just befuddled by the usage of a handful of words such as Interesting, Awesome, Fascinating and Amazing by seemingly master purveyors of the english language, especially on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook, and more often on blogs (including GigaOM.) I have often indulged in dubious usage of these words, primarily because of my mental laziness.
If something is interesting, then I am sure Shakespeare’s language has enough ways to describe why it is interesting. If something is awesome, then has to be a new descriptor. It is hard for me to fathom as to why we fail to find words that truly reflect our feelings or the meaning.
Is it because we have become be lulled into taking the fastest/easiest route, thanks to our Facebook/Twitter driven “society” that is slowly turning us into hordes of showboaters, desperately seeking attention for nano-seconds, even if we have to resort to hyperbole. Now on a scale of 1-to-10, it is not even a “one” on society’s larger problems and my Sunday morning rant, well is just that — a rant. However, someone who has had to struggle with his “second” language, I am just mystified.
PS: If there is someone out there who understands the psychology of words, perhaps maybe you can explain why we are over-using these words, especially online and on our social networks.
For your reading pleasure:
- The Rise of “awesome” / More Intelligent Life
- Worn out words / The Guardian