How the word ‘impact’ has adverse effects—and why honest language matters in the social sector
My quarrel is with the word as it has migrated to the vocabulary of development work and philanthropy: “Our work’s impact has transformed the lives of 10,000 women” or “the impact of our work now spans four states.” In these usages, a six-letter word carries such enormous weight that what is conveyed could be false, distorted or simply hubristic, even if that is not the user’s intention.
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