[Dec 31st, 2021: What will be the word of 2022?]
Quite a few people have written about the new words of 2021 and what they represent about society.
Language and new words are always interesting because it represents what society is thinking.
But we’ve not seen anyone stick their neck out and say what they think will be The Word of 2022.
Until now.
So, what word should business owners embrace in 2022?
And what would should they fear in 2022?
NOW THAT ‘FREEDOM DAY’ IS ANCIENT HISTORY AND BUSINESS OWNERS ARE SEEING THE DREAM OF THE ROARING 20’S GIVING WAY TO THE NIGHTMARE OF THE BORING 20’S, WHAT ARE THE NEW WORDS OF 2022 LIKELY TO BE?
NEW WORDS ARE ALWAYS INTERESTING BECAUSE THEY SHOW WHAT SOCIETY’S THINKING. SO,
WHAT WORD SHOULD BUSINESS OWNERS EMBRACE IN 20-22?
AND WHAT WORD SHOULD BUSINESS OWNERS FEAR IN 20-22?]
IN LATE 20-21, 3 THEMES EMERGED:
1. TALK OF NFTS AND CRYPTO REACHED NEW LEVELS
- THE EXPRESSION, THE GREAT RESIGNATION, SHOWED UP A LOT IN DINNER PARTY CONVERSATION AS MUCH AS BOARD MEETINGS
- AND WE SAW THE FLIP FLOP BETWEEN WFY AND RTO AND WFH HOME AGAIN.
SO, FIRST, WHAT WORD TO EMBRACE AS AN EMERGING THEME IN 20-22?
FOR ME, THE WORD OF 20-22 TO EMBRACE WILL BE A LATE RUNNER FROM 20-21: METAVERSE. EXPECTED TO HIT MORE THAN $1TN IN VALUE IN 3 YEARS, YET 1/3 OF CONSUMERS ONLY AWARE OF IT, 20-22 WILL SEE METAVERSE HIT MAINSTREAM AND BUSINESS OWNERS START TO EMBRACE IT, EXPERIMENTING WITH MORE RETAIL STORES ON THE METAVERSE, HOSTING MEETINGS ON THE METAVERSE AND OFFERING CUSTOMER SERVICE ON THE METAVERSE.
AND WHAT WORD TO FEAR IN 20-22?
MORE WORKING FROM HOME WILL LEAD TO A GROWING MANAGERIAL NEED FOR SURVEILLANCE – MEANING YOUR SUPER-VISOR BECOMES YOUR SUPER-VEILLOR
BUT WITH THE GREAT RESIGNATION TAKING HOLD, AN INCREASED LEVEL OF INDUSTRIAL ACTION IN THE US NOT SEEN FOR DECADES AND LARGE COMPANIES LIKE AMAZON AND KELLOGS INVOLVED IN PROTRACTED INDUSTRIAL ACTION, COULD THE WORD TO FEAR IN 20-22 BE ‘STRIKE’?…
WELL, REDDIT IS OFTEN THE VOICE OF EMERGING NEW DEVELOPMENTS AND THERE’S ONE THREAD WHICH NOW HAS MORE FOLLOWERS THAN WALLSTREET-BETS.
THE TITLE OF THAT THREAD REFLECTS GREATER EMPLOYEE POWER, STACKED ON TOP OF GREATER DISILLUSIONMENT AND A RISING RESENTMENT OF BEING WATCHED BY THE SUPERVISORS AND SUPERVEILLORS, AND MY WORD TO FEAR IN 20-22 IS THE TITLE OF THAT THREAD: ANTI-WORK.
I’M CHRIS WEST, CEO OF THE BUSINESS LANGUAGE AND BRAND TONE OF VOICE CONSULTANCY, VERBAL IDENTITY.