Influx

While Merriam-Webster named “blog” their word of 2004, Influx went searching on WordSpy for words added to the language in 2004, that we thought highlighted some interesting
trends for business, society and the consumer.

We selected four:

1. hyper-parenting
This new phrase is described by WordSpy as “A child-rearing style in which parents are intensely involved in managing, scheduling, and enriching all aspects of their children’s lives.”

wordspy on hyper-parenting

2. strategic philanthropy
Philanthropy has always been put of corporate life, this new phrase acknowledges that there’s a business reason for this giving and companies should think strategically about it. Philanthropy is just another part of marketing.

wordspy on strategic philantropy

3. rurban
A word describing a new geography; one that combines rural, urban and suburban. As the population of the US expands, rural areas are more likely to take on suburban traits.

wordspy on rurban

Looking for more on the changing burbs? David Brooks has some interesting observations.

brook’s book on burbs

4. togethering
The post-911 idea, that friends and family matter most, taken into the arena of vacations. Interestingly, this is a post-nesting phenomenon, suggesting that people want to get and out of their locale and share experiences with those that matter in their lives.

wordspy on togethering