Why do we want to sound more official and in control especially when the rest of the culture is becoming both more informal and more playful? Because sometimes we want to be "them" and sometimes we want to be "us." We're flexible, so we can be whatever we want to be just by the flip of a word. Nice observation.

Very nicely said. And, it's not just people, of course, but objects as well that are surrounded by horizons of possibility...meaning auras.

Jeff is a leader in corporate use of social media, for sure. Like all leaders his vision far outstrips that of most of his colleagues. He's also quite a character, as I'm sure you saw. The corporations very DNA, as you suggest with the Darwin image, must change if it is assimilate the cultural changes heralded by these new production/communication technologies. There's no doubt about direction, the major question being the pace at which individual companies realized the implications and take up their not-insignificant challenges.

Nice one, Grant. Reading this I was reminded of a voice over guy from the 80s-90s. The guy did tons of ads. There was something unique in his enunciation, something almost palpable about his speech pattern, meter, sonorousness (sonority?) that jumped out at me every time. I think he must have sold a bazillion products of all kinds. Hell, he reeked credibility. I wish I knew his name. Anyway, he was a great example of the meaning-bleed you've written about here. Oh, and great to come across Mark here. He's always been one of my favs. Been too long.