What’s in a buzzword?

The Oxford dictionary defines a buzzword as a ‘word or phrase, often an item of jargon, that is fashionable at a particular time or in a particular context.’

In this article I would like to briefly explore how buzzwords can be incredibly powerful in helping society embrace technology, but at the same time how this can also blur what the technology is and what it is trying to achieve. I will also explore how a recent buzzword is creating a ripple in the world of web development, and what it means for our end users.

The Good

For as long as people have been coming up with ideas, they have been coming up with names to describe them. A name is important; it’s an identifier. As society has developed we have seen huge growth in the media industry, and this has enabled a simple name to become much more. These simple names are created to encapsulate an idea, and with hashtags and media frenzy can be used to rally hype behind an idea. People can latch onto the name, it becomes the centre of discussion, debate, and arguments. A buzzword is born.

In the web world there have been two very important buzzwords that have fueled development over the last few years: ‘responsive’ and ‘mobile-first’. Hopefully you have heard of these on some level. More generically in the UK we have had ‘Brexit’ and who can forget a wealth of gate based scandals.

Modern society likes to be fashionable, and there are a huge number of buzzwords flying around at any one time, they do a lot for a lot of industries at the same time. A lot of businesses can benefit off the back of one buzzword. Marketing companies are employed to generate interest and keep it alive with campaigns, and design agencies are employed to clearly convey the message. Furthermore, news outlets have discussion points and headlines that write themselves, and of course the public feel a buzz and sense of excitement.

It’s incredible what one word or phrase can do, and what I have mentioned here is only just the tip of the iceberg.

The Bad

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Unfortunately, for many, buzzwords can be distracting. It is very easy to get caught up in the excitement of a buzzword, and quickly lose sight of the technology or real intention behind it.

There are a couple of words in the Oxford dictionary definition above I’d like to focus on: ‘jargon’ and ‘fashionable’.

Jargon

The issue I have experienced with buzzwords, particularly in meetings, is that they can become noise. It’s very easy for buzzwords to start being thrown around the table, at which point discussions can become diluted and vague. It can also be very dangerous as everyone has their own understanding of a buzzword. As a developer I know first hand how hard it can be to convey a concept to a client with no technical understanding; buzzwords can easily confuse the situation even more.

Fashionable

I don’t know much (OK, anything) about fashion, but it definitely moves fast. As quickly as something becomes fashionable, it goes out of fashion, and buzzwords are no different. One minute a particular product or idea is all the rave and the next it’s not, and if you find yourself lagging behind the trend you basically just got caught trousers down. It’s very hard to keep up, so tread carefully and steer clear of short term hype.

And The PWA

A recent (recently gaining traction) revolution in the world of web technology is the Progressive Web App. Now finally becoming supported by all major browsers (see here), the PWA is set to dramatically shift the app landscape, and revolutionise how we deliver applications and their updates to our users. The PWA is a great example of how a buzzword can help technology take off.

Over the years buzzwords have helped web development practices, methodologies, and principles become mainstream, throwback to ‘responsive’ and ‘mobile-first’ again. These are just names given to a set of principles that are a good idea to follow, but the buzzword enabled developers, agencies, business owners and the general public to all embrace and understand the concepts. More importantly from a web developer point of view, we are able to capitalise from this hype, offering services associated to these buzzwords, or in some cases just changing the name of something we were already offering.

It’s no great revelation to say native apps are dying, there are countless reports and articles drawing the same conclusion, the brand that is ‘app’ is being damaged. The reality is it’s incredibly hard for developers to make money with native apps. If you’ve got a million to throw at marketing, and can get featured or placed in a top 10 list on the app store, you might just bring home enough to get some food on the table. So, when Alex Russel and Frances Berrimman came up with the concept of the PWA, they did something else clever, they gave it the name ‘Progressive Web App’. Apps and Web Apps have been around for ages, and people are getting fed up with them, so it had to be something new and catchy, it had to show evolution, and of course it had to be more buzzwordy.

Progressive Web Apps unleash some native capabilities in the browser, they give users a unified and app like experience on any device, without developers having to design, build and maintain expensive native apps. More importantly PWAs can grow with the user, and are stable irrelevant of the users network or storage restrictions.

You will see a lot more on PWAs as the wave grows. I will be publishing some more articles soon, and releasing some demo projects we are working on at Lunar Works to highlight the impressive capabilities of a PWA.

To paraphrase Jake Archibald; Progressive Web Apps are here, it’s time to get busy.

My Vision

I am driven by technology for good, both personally and for my business; Lunar Works. I believe that technology is most impactful when we deliver it with clarity and simplicity, when we can look past the media hype, step out of the whirlwind, and give people meaningful technology they can understand and trust. This is the challenge that keeps me enthusiastic about the industry and excited for the difference I can make.

Next Steps

These are my thoughts and musings; you may see the world in a different way, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic. How do you see buzzwords impacting your industry? What are your thoughts on Progressive Web Apps?

Keep looking out for new articles on the topics of AI, ML, Web Apps and technology in society.