This week’s theme
Blend words

This week’s words
wegotism
freemium
mediocracy
chillax
slacktivism


This week’s comments
AWADmail 801

Next week’s theme
Unusual verbs

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(SLAK-tuh-viz-uhm)

MEANING:

noun: Activism that requires minimal effort.

ETYMOLOGY:

A blend of slack + activism. Earliest documented use: 1995.

NOTES:

Some examples of slacktivism are forwarding messages, clicking Like buttons, etc. Slacktivism by itself is not bad, but it can prevent people from taking any further action if they feel that by filling out an online petition they have done their part. The term clicktivism is also used.

USAGE:

“Slacktivism may satisfy an urge without motivating us to do anything real. Think of the desire to take political action as a kind of psychological itch that needs scratching. Of course, there is more than one way to scratch that itch. We can march in protest, make a donation to a nonprofit organization, write a blog, sign a petition, or click thumbs up on a YouTube post, among many other efforts. All of these deeds will scratch that itch, but some are more constructive than others.”
David Feldman; Safety Pins For Slackers; Psychology Today (New York); Jul/Aug 2017.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: