Words and WW (Blog 3)

The Weight Watchers Language created using Wordle

Tuan's (1991) article about how powerfully language contributes to place got me thinking that Weight Watcher's (WW) has its very own language. All the members of the WW eTools online community speak the same 'diet' language and the success at speaking the WW language is reflected by the amount of weight you lose each week.

In week one each WW member is introduced to the world of ProPoints, Tracking, Routines, Spaces, Weekly ProPoints, Activity ProPoints, eTools, Leaders and the list goes on. The WW language helps to build the virtual eTools space. When the members write a blog or status, share or rate a recipe and/or browse site content they understand and speak the WW language.

I feel the identity of the members is more 'real' because of this language. Each member has made the effort to learn a new language for the same reason as every other member, ultimately to lose weight. When I first subscribed to the eTools site I correctly expected it to be written in the WW language and for community members to be speaking in WW lingo as well.

Tuan (1991) states that words "have the specific power to call places into being" (p.686) the language on the WW site and of the members bring the virtual space alive. A typical WW community blog will discuss the week in terms of 'good' or 'bad', 'gain' or 'loss', suggest a 'cheap' (low ProPoints) meal or snack option that has been discovered, perhaps share a recipe that is 'worth the spend', how many 'exercise' or 'sweat' points were earnt. The community members have developed a separate WW slang language they use when communicating which makes the virtual members feel more 'real'. 

References

Tuan, Y. (1991). Language and the making of place: A narrative-descriptive approach. In Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 81(4), 684-696.