Is 'Ubered' the new 'Googled'!?

[dmitridr]

IS 'UBERED' THE NEW 'GOOGLED'?

Last night I was at a party and I asked one of my friends how they got to the party, to which he replied:

"I just ubered here... it's so much cheaper than a taxi".

For those of you who don't know, Uber is an app that allows you to hire Uber drivers in seconds (much cheaper than a normal taxi).

Which made me wonder... is 'Ubered' the new 'Google? Often in English, when society has new technological innovations such as Uber or Google, they often succumb to what is known as 'conversion' whereby a noun is converted in a verb (e.g. Uber -> Ubered, Google - Googled).

So what do you think will happen? Hint: this is a GREAT word to include in your essays on language change and technology!

[MDMA]

Google can relate to anything whilst Uber is very specific. So I'm going to go out on a limb and say most definitely not.

[dmitridr]

Google can relate to anything whilst Uber is very specific. So I'm going to go out on a limb and say most definitely not.

Thanks for your reply!

[Limista]

I think this depends on how many people start using the word: your friend might be in the process of setting a new trend. I suppose if other people start using this app more frequently, then they will also let slip the verb 'ubered' for concisness. It seems nice to have a verb that conveys the same meaning, rather than a cluster of words trying to establish that same meaning. For instance, it would be more cogent to say (hypothetically) that 'I ubered here', rather than 'I used the uber app to get here'. 

I know for a fact that the Merriam-Webster dictionary is a lot more lenient when it comes to publishing the vernacular of today, when compared to the likes of the Oxford dictionary which seems unrelenting of improper English. Perhaps the 'ubered' verb must first enter the Merriam-Webster then, before it can be reprinted into other dictionaries.

Even if it is acknowledged as a word, I think we'd be unlikely to use it freely in writing. Sure, it might become a modicum of conversation, but that would be all.

[MJRomeo81]

I know in the US Uber is extremely popular.

The movement is gathering momentum in Australia so it's only a matter of time before "ubered" or "uber'd" enters our common vernacular.

[MDMA]

Uber is already popular among those who go clubbing. Uber has definitely made its way into the vocabulary of thousands just like many other company names. But relating it to someone saying 'google' this or that, it definitely will never be on the same level as Uber is a transportation service whilst google reveals answers to anything and everything. So it definitely is not the new 'Google it' because that can arise in so many situations whilst Uber is strictly a medium for transportation (unless they branch out into the future into something like, say, a search engine). We're in the information age not the transportation age!

[brenden]

I think he's talking about the principles behind both words rather than trying to compare them to overall cultural impact...

[MDMA]

I think he's talking about the principles behind both words rather than trying to compare them to overall cultural impact...

In that case it will just be a synonym for taxi in the real world … like it already is.

[Joseph41]

In that case it will just be a synonym for taxi in the real world … like it already is.

I don't think they're synonyms at all. I certainly wouldn't say "Yeah, I'll just call an Uber" if I meant that I would call a taxi.

Interesting thread.

[Reus]

Wouldn't say its the 'new' Google but definitely a neologism.

[MDMA]

I don't think they're synonyms at all. I certainly wouldn't say "Yeah, I'll just call an Uber" if I meant that I would call a taxi.

Interesting thread.

I just meant a relative form of transportation. So instead of 'hey I'm going to catch a bus home' or 'hey I'm going to catch a taxi home,' it will be 'hey I'm going to take an Uber home.' I hear it anyway.

[dmitridr]

Thanks for the replies!

In hindsight, I probably should've titled this post differently. What I meant was, how is Uber having an influential impact on our language today?

But regardless, very insightful comments, thanks!

[Joseph41]

Thanks for the replies!

In hindsight, I probably should've titled this post differently. What I meant was, how is Uber having an influential impact on our language today?

But regardless, very insightful comments, thanks!

I heard a child the other day say to their mother, "Don't worry - I'll just iPad it". The grammatical conversion of iPad from a noun to a verb here is quite interesting. I'm sure that it's something about which Apple would be pleased.

[dmitridr]

I heard a child the other day say to their mother, "Don't worry - I'll just iPad it". The grammatical conversion of iPad from a noun to a verb here is quite interesting. I'm sure that it's something about which Apple would be pleased.

Wow, that's quite fascinating... yet very unusual at the same time. Thanks for sharing!