Member Article

Digital language today

We live in a digital age where nearly everything is digital. You can spot the word digital almost everywhere – from digital platforms through digital citizens to, somewhat more bizarre, digital perm. But what does digital actually mean? This the first in a series of blog posts where we try to demystify the term digital, and make it more mainstream.

Below is a short glossary of digital terms, which you probably see and hear every day. But let’s start with the basics and explain briefly what digital means. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, digital means “the involving or relating to the use of computer technology”. In this context, computer technology often relates to the Internet and online functionalities.

But back to our glossary, please find a short selection below that you might find useful:

Avatar

A picture or cartoon used to represent an individual online, in chat forums, games, and social media or on other websites.

Hub

A common connection point for devices in a network, e.g. USB hub. Also, the “hub” refers to the effective centre of an activity, region, or network, such as “the city has always been the financial hub of the country”.

Freemium model

A type of business model that works by selling basic services, or a basic downloadable digital product, for free, while charging a premium price for advanced or special features.

PM

Stands for “private message”, frequently used in Facebook communication. The common combination is “PM me”, which literally translated means “private message me”. In plain English, it would be “Send me a private message”.

Phishing

An illegal method whereby legitimate looking e-mails (appearing to come from a high street bank, for example) are used in an attempt to source personal information that can be used to steal a user’s identity.

Usability

The ease of use and learnability of a human-made object. The object of use can be a software application, website, book, tool, machine, process, or anything a human interacts with

Web 2.0

The term describes the next generation of online use. Web 2.0 identifies the consumer as a major contributor in the evolution of the internet into a two-way medium. Often associated with the use of social media.

Viral

The term often associated with “Viral marketing”, which means the spread of a message quickly across the Internet, largely by “word-of mouth”. It mimics a virus because of the speed at which is transferred and the number of people that it reaches.

What other digital terms would you like added to this list? Please comment below.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by My Digital Biz .