Feeling sufficiently digitally disrupted?

With 81 years still left for entries to the Most Overused Word of the XXI Century competition, two candidates already make getting to the top of the list a mighty challenge: ‘digital’ and ‘disruption’ (along with their multiple derivate forms). We witness ‘digital’ being stuck into every second sentence in business speak. ‘Disruption’ surrounds us 24/7, leaving little space to breathe – in our professional and private lives alike. 

Unless the vast majority of content contributors to business publications (including here, on LinkedIn) and industry events successfully cultivate alternative personalities when writing, posting and speaking, one gets the impression they see the world in two dimensions: either the business or organization is ‘digital’ and ‘a disruptor’, or… else. Most of the authors stop short of calling those companies that are not ‘retarded’ – but they don’t seem to settle for ‘analogue’ nor ‘doing-business-as-usual’ either. An understatement? 

And, the same goes for individuals. ‘Digital leaders’ and ‘Digital Marketing Managers’ are on top of their respective games: progressive titans of their industries. Just ‘Leaders’ and just ‘Marketing Managers’, no matter what they actually do, are… well, passé. As it has been for millenia, it is all about labels… Not very progressive, is it?

Some words lose their meaning faster than others 

Throwing ‘digital’ and ‘disruption’ around does these words little good. At this rate of exaggerated adoption, the meanings get diluted very fast indeed. 

‘Digital’ is a reference to a range of technologies that enable new ways of doing business – with emphasis on how, not on what. But since there are fewer and fewer business activities that are not supported by these technologies, constantly waving the digital flag becomes an empty gesture. It is 2019, not 2009, and almost all marketing is ‘digital’ – accept it. 

‘Disruption’ is supposed to create a new market and ultimately result in a change of guards among major players. But if ‘disruption’ is being preached as the only way of achieving success in business… and every company is expected to ‘disrupt’ (or, die)… then entire industries end up chasing their collective tails – because there is hardly any ‘old’ market left to disrupt.

Before we know it, there will be a growing collection of ‘Disruption’ memes on 9GAG.

Common names are not that sexy…

Think ‘unicorn’: what do you picture? The mythical creature was supposedly extremely rare - and so was growing a start-up to a billion dollar private business. Today, unicorns seem to gallop the streets of every major city claiming to be an ‘innovation hub’. According to CB Insights,

“ As of January 2019, there are more than 300 unicorns around the world. Variants include a decacorn, valued at over $10 billion, and a hectocorn, valued at over $100 billion.”

Stripped of rarity, this once brilliant analogy joins a long, sad list of words overused by XXI century’s business lingo.

Participating in the Most Overused Word of the XXI Century competition does not make any of us smarter.