Watch Hill Design

I think I may have come up with a new word. Internazzi… has a nice ring to it, yes? The other day, I almost got drawn into one of those long, drawn-out email arguments that go nowhere, and do nothing more than raise peoples blood pressure. And then it hit me… there needs to be a word for those people who believe themselves to be in a lofty position, and spend their time dropping verbal bird bombs on the rest of the world. Without giving it 4 seconds thought, the word Internazzi came to me. Here’s the definition so far:

Main Entry: in·ter·naz·zo
Pronunciation: \ˌin-tër-’nät-(ˌ)sō\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural in·ter·naz·zi \-(ˌ)sē\
Etymology: American, modified form of the word Paparazzo, surname of such a photographer in the film La dolce vita (1959) by Frederico Fellini, but instead referring to the Internet equivalent of the modern day paparazzi photographers. Term first coined by Robert Heaney of Watch Hill Design, June 2008.
Date: 2008
Definition: Self-appointed web or technical elite who will leave behind no opportunity to point out (often at length) the perceived shortcomings of others, often relying upon the relative anonymity offered by the Internet as a means of magnifying the worst parts of their personality. Internazzi rarely offer any constructive or progressive advice, opting rather to derisively abuse the efforts of others. They can most often be found in any form of public Internet forum (Digg, Fark, blog comments et al), ceaselessly expounding their clearly superior understanding of nearly any given subject.

I rather like it. I’ll continue to spruce it up a bit. Feel free to use it at will. And, If it’s not clear from the definition above, this term has nothing to with the fascist German regime of World War II, but is a play on the word paprazzi, another equally useless buzzing collection of humanity. So, if you were so inclined… unclench.