Origins of Modern-day Tech Terms and Communication

Everyone all over the world uses these terms, but do you know where they come from? Or, what they really mean?

spam = [n] or [v] the brand name of this fake, canned meat was repurposed to describe annoying fake and/or unsolicited emails from senders that you don’t know

bookmark = [n] or [v] In the olden days before the internet, we used to actually read books, and put a little piece of paper in the book to mark our place. This word has survived (even though books kind of haven’t) and been repurposed in all internet browsers to save website addresses that we frequently visit or want to go back to later.

email = [n] or [v] Did you know that this is a combined word formed from electronic+mail?

phishing = [n] or [v] a clever spelling variant on “fishing,” this describes the modern-day practice of someone metaphorically throwing a hook in the water with some bait and trying to hook someone into giving them money and/or information

cc = [n] or [v] Did you know that “cc” stands for “carbon copy?” This derives from the olden days when secretaries typed memos and letters on typewriters. They used to have a piece of carbon paper between two sheets of paper, thus creating two+ copies of whatever they typed. It made its way into the modern lexicon as an option when you email someone. The secondary recipients get the same letter/email.

bcc = [n] or [v] This term means “blind carbon copy.” This means that no one knows who else received a copy of your email, except for the sender. It’s a clever way to CYA (cover your ass) when dealing with tricky situations.

inbox = [n] Did you know that people used to actually have little boxes on their desks marked “in” and “out?” Now, our “inboxes” are just little icons on our desktop that might contain thousands of emails, read and un-read. Could you imagine someone with a stack of thousands of papers physically piled up in an inbox, sitting on their desk!?

telegram = [n] This controversial messaging app harkens back to the days of Abraham Lincoln (and even earlier), when the only way to quickly send messages thousands of miles was to send a telegram. 150+ years ago, telegrams were composed of Morse Code, a series of dots and dashes to represent letters of the alphabet. Telegrams were delivered by bike messengers to the recipients. American journalist Robert Benchley sent a celebrated telegram to his editor at the New Yorker, when he arrived in Venice for the first time. "Streets full of water. Please advise."

forward = [v] We’ve all seen that option in our email, but did you know that when you change addresses, the United States Post Office will actually forward your mail to your new address?