Er... maybe I'm missing something but I need to see more evidence. I searched for these adverbs on several major newspapers' websites: sure, there might be one or two newly fashionable phrases, but this usage pattern isn't new. Unless I'm missing something, I think the author is pointing out a pretty normal thing that most people don't notice and attributing it to something that let's people feel smug. That's a great way to generate hype around your blog, though.
We need to hear more of:<p>- "failed to deliver"<p>- "under performing the market"<p>- "declining product quality"<p>- "unacceptable performance"<p>- "financially unsustainable"<p>- "ongoing criminal enterprise"
> Massively<p>The word massive, in the way tech people use it, is a real sore to the eyes. No matter how massive the word is meant to be, it is still a god damn weasel word.
Lame take. Especially given the author's own use of adverbs. "My superiority complex is superior to your superiority complex" inter-nerd contrarianism.
Hype is what startups do. Because hype is valuation and the path to exit with $$$$.<p>Let's look at what Musk does with "self driving" Teslas, a very impressive (I have watched the videos) but fundamentally flawed technology. I mean, not as flawed as say, commercial fusion (see: hype on here), personal aircraft (Moller for decades, but maybe a wee bit more plausible), etc.<p>What amuses me is people dumping on Musk on here for using arguably LESS hype than I would say the average SV startup's CEO parrots. I get it, it's the classic fall guy "him not us" group psychology.<p>Don't get me wrong, Musk definitely is somewhere in the "owes a lot of money for lying/overhyping" for self driving at this point. But it still was something that had tangible demonstrations, ongoing improvements, and juuuuuust enough success that you could see it miiiiiiiggghhhhtttt work. Someday.<p>Let's look at Meta. Hahahahahahahaha the hype around their VR/whatever. Now THAT is some primo-grade bullshit hype, they couldn't even beat second life from 20 years ago.<p>"well, our startup didn't defraud people of $15000 for full self driving that wasn't". Yeah, your startup just sells personal information to companies (and therefore, to private security firms/information central nexuses, and thus to both democratic (if we can call ourselves that) and very very nondemocratic states. Um, which is worse?<p>So ... is the hype just a legitimate "vision" for the company/product? Or is it outright fraud and chatgpt wordsoup designed to target fat investment from the Saudis?<p>Let the market decide, I guess, to some degree.
Q: How many Northern Californians does it take to change a lightbulb?<p>A: Hella!!!<p>Q: How many Southern Californians does it take to change a lightbulb?<p>A: Totally!!!<p><a href="https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6492j904" rel="nofollow">https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6492j904</a><p><a href="http://people.duke.edu/~eec10/hellanorcal.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://people.duke.edu/~eec10/hellanorcal.pdf</a><p>Hella Nor Cal or Totally So Cal?: The Perceptual Dialectology of California<p>Mary Bucholtz, Nancy Bermudez, Victor Fung, Lisa Edwards and Rosalva Vargas. Journal of English Linguistics 2007; 35; 325. DOI: 10.1177/0075424207307780<p>>Abstract<p>>This study provides the first detailed account of perceptual dialectology within California (as well as one of the first accounts of perceptual dialectology within any single state). Quantitative analysis of a map-labeling task carried out in Southern California reveals that California’s most salient linguistic boundary is between the northern and southern regions of the state. Whereas studies of the perceptual dialectology of the United States as a whole have focused almost exclusively on regional dialect differences, respondents associated particular regions of California less with distinctive dialects than with differences in language (English versus Spanish), slang use, and social groups. The diverse socio linguistic situation of California is reflected in the emphasis both on highly salient social groups thought to be stereotypical of California by residents and nonresidents alike (e.g., surfers) and on groups that, though prominent in the cultural landscape of the state, remain largely unrecognized by outsiders (e.g., hicks).<p>Extra credit question:<p>Can you locate the isogloss designating the "101" / "The 101" line?<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isogloss" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isogloss</a><p>The Californians:<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIklKPzND20">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIklKPzND20</a>
If you read any mainstream news sources or publications, you will see similar hyperbolic adverbs and adjectives. It's just modern writing. Lost all sense of subtle or the sublime and afraid of being "dry". It pleases the filthy masses, so it will continue.
Some of the phrasing OP lists are awkward but it sounds a lot like they just don't like adverbs. A few of the examples I found fine, many just sounded awful, but few I thought were sufficiently something I'd associate solely with "hacker news" types.
I can't say I've noticed this outside of a "tone" that HN comments tend to have.<p>Unfortunately that tone is often something akin to "devil's advocate trying to write like Paul Graham and Steven Pinker".
Haha there's definitely an exaggeration culture. Sometimes it amuses me. Other times I read about something on HN that's "incredibly dangerous" and it's just stuff people do every day.
> the desire to create emphasis when otherwise the point being made is prosaic has lead people in Silicon Valley to come up with this odd writing style where adverbs are deployed in ways that no decent writer would.<p>Perfectly discromulent hyperbole has infected online discourse far beyond Silicon Valley. As well as subjective opinions being passed off as <i>obvious reality</i>. Your opinion, dumb and bad. My opinion smart and good.<p>Call it techno dystopia Patrick Bateman type prose. ChatGPT bots can't come soon enough to wash it all away.