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‘Flexible’ work and 715: Baidu’s top 2020 buzzwords reveal gruelling reality for workers in China amid coronavirus pandemic
- The annual Baidu Buzz List shows people searched for new terms like ‘flexible work’, ‘cloud supervisors’ and ‘715’
- Many of the terms became popular as a result of changes to work and everyday life amid the Covid-19 pandemic
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This has been a year of many unexpected events, with a pandemic that has turned lives upside down while also helping to enrich vocabularies – and not just with terms related to epidemiology. The effect in China can be seen in the annual list of hot new internet buzzwords from the country’s search giant Baidu, giving a glimpse into people’s everyday struggles in 2020.
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Similar to year-end lists from Google Trends, the Baidu Buzz List compiles popular search terms from different categories. This year’s list shows concern about Covid-19, which was at the top of the list. However, there were also many new entrants related to changes in our working habits this year.
Overbearing bosses, for example, became known as “workplace pickup artists”. Other viral terms included “involution”, referring to more work combined with economic stagnation, and “Versailles literature”, a cringeworthy type of humblebrag for the rich and famous who publicise their lives on social media.
The Buzz List contained 10 terms overall, but these are our favourites.
Flexible work
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