10 words that made 2021

Vaxxed, NFTs and so many more new words this year – no wonder we wanted to disappear into the metaverse.
A typewriter with test on paper reading 2021

This year we started to see COVID normal influence our collective vocabularies as many words came in to describe how the arts sector was coping with the pandemic. While there was still talk of post-pandemic, a lot more of the language became about living with and immunising ourselves against a virus that would be with us for some time. But just like the virus, our language mutated to help us adapt.

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George Dunford was Director of Content at ArtsHub, ScreenHub and GamesHub (2019-2022). He has also written for Meanjin, The Big Issue, Lonely Planet, The Good Food Guide and others. He has worked in digital leadership roles in the cultural sector for more than 10 years including at the National Library of Australia, National Museum of Australia and the Wheeler Centre. He is currently employed by Museums Victoria and is a mentor in the CEO Digital Mentorship program working with Back to Back and Desart. You can follow him on Twitter: @Hack_packer