Six of 2014's top buzzwords

After some intense research (as you can imagine with the plethora of buzzwords out there) I came up with six words I think almost everyone had to come across at least once during 2014. *Note, these are not necessarily words that were born in 2014, they were simply buzzing.

Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Millennials: If you aren't familiar with this word, I'm not sure that you lived during 2014... It was EVERYWHERE. "Can Millennials afford to become homeowners?" "Millennials changing the workforce." "Millennials and retirement." "Millennials and their shopping behaviour." "Millennials and social media." "Becoming a Millennial brand." You name it, someone covered it. Millennial is simply another term for Generation Y (people born between the 1980s and 2000s). I do find it interesting that "Millennial" specifically became such a trendy word. Why did "Gen Y" never trend?

2. Selfie: Coined as '2013's Word of the Year', selfie didn't die down this year. Undoubtedly the most popular selfie taken this year was at the Oscars when Ellen DeGeneres took a selfie with a bunch of celebs. I'm personally not really into selfies, but man, if Meryl, Bradley and Brad were in the vicinity I would be snapping selfies like there was no tomorrow.

If only Bradley's arm was longer. Best photo ever. #oscars pic.twitter.com/C9U5NOtGap

- Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) March 3, 2014

Another interesting fact about the selfie is that, according to a report on International Business Times, the selfie phenomenon goes further back than we might have realised. Apparently, the first selfie-taker was Hollywood cameraman Lester Wisbrod. He claims he invented the selfie in 1981 and has taken about 150 of them with celebrities over the years.

Hollywood cameraman insists he invented the celebrity selfie in 1981 http://t.co/dxnzQR9lKz Photo by @MelMelconPhoto pic.twitter.com/TEQ5LOJ9LH

- LA Times Photography (@latimesphotos) July 15, 2014

3. Banting: Move over "green" and "eco-friendly". Banting took the world by storm this year, so this should come as no surprise. If you didn't do the Banting diet this year, then you just weren't cool, sorry. Well, I suppose I wasn't cool then... I just can't resist the carb devil. In 2014 Banting was on everyone's lips. Restaurants incorporated Banting in their menus - whether through a "Banting burger", rice-free sushi or cauliflower pizzas. Markets had Banting stalls, and a few dedicated Banting restaurants opened to cater for this niche group of people.

4. #TBT: The fascinating phenomenon of Throwback Thursday (aka reminiscing) is apparently a few years old already, but was definitely trending a lot in 2014. It's like the whole world was just waiting for a way to share their baby pictures with their friends on social media without it being weird.

Image via Always Allie

5. Storytelling: This one is perhaps a bit industry specific, but I'm sure you came across it ad nauseam. Originally a word that described the actions of novelists or screenwriters, and in many cases designers (people who actually tell stories), storytelling started buzzing in the marketing industry and suddenly everyone felt this was a necessary term to use in their mission statements and pitches. In marketing terms, it means "finding a narrative and telling that to consumers, wherever they are and whatever channel they're on". But not everyone is a storyteller, and I don't know why, like Stefan Sagmeister in the video below, everyone feels they now have to be storytellers.

6. Vape: And now, the one you've all been waiting for... the word of the year. Oxford Dictionaries named "vape" 2014's Word of the Year - you know, with all these e-cigarette smokers thinking they are "cooler as ekke". Vape is reportedly a verb and means "to inhale and exhale the vapour produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device". It was added to the dictionary in August. Vape can also be used as a noun for the e-cigarette and for the act of inhaling itself.

Finally, just for fun, have a look at this "Weird Al" Yankovic - Mission Statement video on YouTube about buzzwords. You'll love it!

Of course there were tons more buzzwords used in different industries and conversations throughout the year. I'm sure the list is actually endless. What were your top buzzwords this year?

Sources:

• USA Today
  
• OxfordWords blog
  
• Profoundry
  
• Digital Trends
  
• International Business Times
  
• PRCA
  
• Contently