Jack Dorsey of Square and Twitter wants us to get out of the habit of calling people “users.”The entire technology industry uses the word “user” to describe its customers. While it might be convenient, “users” is a rather passive and abstract word. No one wants to be thought of as a “user” (or “consumer” for that matter). I certainly don’t. And I wouldn’t consider my mom a “user” either, she’s my mom. The word “user” abstracts the actual individual. This may seem like a small and insignificant detail that doesn’t matter, but the vernacular and words we use here at Square set a very strong and subtle tone for everything we do. So let’s now part ways with our industry and rethink this.
It’s a good point and yes, this term is one that’s an easy and lazy shorthand. It’s not necessarily that it’s bad, and that’s not Dorsey’s point, but it is somewhat depersonalizing and that kind of mindset can turn south quickly.
Personally, I’ll take up the challenge to remove this from my vocabulary unless it’s situationally appropriate. I can’t quite afford to have people charge me $140 for every infraction, but I’ll take a slap upside the head on occasion.
