I got rather wound up this week, when I came across the phrase ‘Battery anxiety‘. And when I say wound up, what I mean is losing perspective and common sense for at least a few hours.
I did two fairly uncharacteristic things. 1) Called out a company (one with which I have a slightly complicated business relationship, to say the least) on social media. 2) I emailed the same company’s PR department.
Regret came later. The irritation still stands, however.
It involves the misappropriation of the word anxiety.
In a press release I received from a leading electronics company, for a pro specced flashgun, it mentioned the phrase ‘ battery anxiety’. The phrase was clothed in those all-excusing inverted commas, as if doing so made it immune from criticism. Like it’s not a real thing, but we’re gonna use it anyway ‘cos it’s trendy.
The word anxiety pops up everywhere nowadays. It’s become so commonplace that everyone, it seems, suffers with it.
For me, that was a red rag. I’ve had conversations before with other parents whose children also suffer with anxiety – to the extent that they can’t leave the house, like my daughter – and talked about how misused the word anxiety is nowadays.
People being interviewed on TV talk about how they had ‘a little bit of anxiety’ over a certain scenario… when, to me, the more appropriate phrase would be ‘a little nervous’ or ‘a little worried’ or similar.
Now, words to me are a powerful tool, and shouldn’t be misused. Whilst the words anxiety and worry are seemingly used interchangeably, they have different meanings and, more importantly, are different psychological states. This article from Psychology Today explains the differences between anxiety and worry perfectly.
When my daughter is anxious, she experiences the following:
– heart racing
– finding it hard to breathe
– increased sweating
– shaking / trembling
It can also make her feel sick. In the past, it’s given her a headache and/or a stomach ache. She might either freeze, or want to flee. And you can literally see her burning through nervous energy, after which she’s exhausted.
It’s more than just a few butterflies in the stomach. More than just that weird sensation you get when something new or challenging is imminent.
As the article says, worry just involves thoughts. Anxiety impacts your body – it has physiological consequences. And, believe me, it can completely overtake your whole being.
So, back to the ‘battery anxiety’. Is it really anxiety? Does concern about having sufficient power in your electronic device result in this all-encompassing wave of adrenaline-fuelled panic taking over your body?
Or is it just worry?
It’s not the first time a word has been bandwagoned for marketing purposes. Words are always misappropriated, and are often linked to themes of the moment. Take natural. Eco. Or health and safety – that’s a big one, isn’t it? Think of the things that have been done – or not – in the name of ‘health and safety’, when actually what people mean is ‘my insurance doesn’t cover you doing that’.
I did get a reply to my email to the PR department. This was the response.
“Thanks for reaching out and bringing this to our attention re. the press release. Please be assured that we take your concerns seriously and have escalated this internally.
“Whilst this is a term that continues to be widely used across the photography industry, this doesn’t excuse the use and we will address to ensure that phrases such as this are no longer used at Canon.“
It’s a bit of a mixed bag response, I feel. Yes, my concern has been taken seriously. There is still a little bit of defence of the term, though.
And, for the record, I’ve been part of that industry myself since the age of 16. That’s my first encounter of the terms in 26 years.
Let’s dig a little deeper, then. If it’s a term that’s widely used, where did it come from?
Here’s the answer – a survey conducted by electronics giant LG.
I believe that companies of all sizes have a responsibility to not misappropriate words in the name of marketing. To me, this is a blatant example of using a trending term to promote its products. And it’s not OK.