Hack vs. Tip
A curiosity of language has me pondering...
Lately I can't seem to get away from the term 'hack', as in a life-hack etc. Which, as far as I can tell, seems to be used in place of "tip", "trick" or "suggestion". It confuses me and I can't seem to figure out where this comes from. Everyday I see articles along the lines of "10 Life Hacks that will change everything." But upon reading, these are just tips and suggestions...
I wonder if it has to do with the trend of the Ikea Hack; hacking things apart and putting them together to make something entirely different. But I can't figure out how it came to be used as a term for "a few helpful tips".
Or is it like saying we've hacked into the computer of life and now are sharing these tips with you?
I'm not on social media (except LJ I guess) so I sometimes wonder if I've just missed the evolution. Dictionaries, urban or otherwise, don't have any references to hack being used in this way.
Do you use the word 'hack'? If so, why do you choose 'hack' instead of 'tip' or similar? Any clues as to why this has become so common?
Lately I can't seem to get away from the term 'hack', as in a life-hack etc. Which, as far as I can tell, seems to be used in place of "tip", "trick" or "suggestion". It confuses me and I can't seem to figure out where this comes from. Everyday I see articles along the lines of "10 Life Hacks that will change everything." But upon reading, these are just tips and suggestions...
I wonder if it has to do with the trend of the Ikea Hack; hacking things apart and putting them together to make something entirely different. But I can't figure out how it came to be used as a term for "a few helpful tips".
Or is it like saying we've hacked into the computer of life and now are sharing these tips with you?
I'm not on social media (except LJ I guess) so I sometimes wonder if I've just missed the evolution. Dictionaries, urban or otherwise, don't have any references to hack being used in this way.
Do you use the word 'hack'? If so, why do you choose 'hack' instead of 'tip' or similar? Any clues as to why this has become so common?