Do we need new words?

Over at GREEN we have a regular competition among colleagues and clients. They have been challenged to come up with some new words. My business partner Andy believes new words are desperately needed to ensure modern-day communications can keep abreast of shifts and changes in our world. I'm not sure about this but would like to know what "Braaaapp" means - a Yoof word, apparently!

However, unless we expand our vocabulary our collective abilities to make ourselves understood and avoid abuses of power through communications could be severely hampered.

Here are some new words, we have discovered, and their meaning for your consideration:

Impropaganda - An untruth where both parties are happy to go along with, or a publicity act or media story which uses a flexibility with the facts, the half-facts and the objective focus of a situation, which is sustained by a shared value between the communicator and the audience

Punk PR - A publicity act or communication not in accordance with good sense or taste

Pseudo Relations – A communication lacking any substance (rather than the expression, ‘This is just a public relations exercise’).

Horseshit - Similar to bullshit but is defined as unjustified, flawed, or extravagant extrapolation in using a statistic to substantiate a case. Inspired by the Victorian mathematician who predicted that if the then volume of horse traffic continues London would be under nine feet of horse manure by 1970.

Flashturbation - Excessive use of flash animation techniques in design, particularly on web sites. Can also refer in general to excessive use of techniques in design which do not assist the communication process.

Hibris - The effective harnessing of positive arrogance to generate self belief in support of achieving your goals. Hibris is the opposite of hubris - excessive pride leading to nemesis. It should be noted that both words sound similar and are closely related.

A jomoore - Managing information such as with the timing of an announcement so that its significance is masked by other major, possibly negative, events. For example, ‘let’s jomoore the timing of this story’. Derived from the media exposure of the UK Government adviser whose memo was leaked advising colleagues to immediately issue bad news in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attack.

Wimbourne - To inadvertently create something new by juxtaposing two different elements. Derived from UK Press Gazette where newspaper sub editors inadvertently create humorous connections through two unrelated stories developing a common synergy by being next to each other.

Crook suckers - Created by writer Julie Burchill to describe people in authority with liberal tendencies who place greater emphasis on showing tolerance to and supporting the needs of criminal elements rather than their victims.

September 10th - Used in the context of, “that’s so September 10th”. Used to dismiss anyone with a perceived petty issue, or behind the times. Obviously derived following the terrorist attack on the subsequent day which has been described as a defining moment in the 21st century.