Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. A brand tells you to "be your true self" while selling you a $90 sweatshirt. A career coach insists you find your "authentic voice" by following a 10-step template they sold to five thousand other people. We are drowning in it. It’s everywhere. This obsession with being "real" has become its own kind of performance, and that's exactly what Theodor Adorno was getting at when he coined the term the jargon of authenticity.
He saw it coming decades ago.
Back in 1964, Adorno, a German philosopher who wasn't exactly known for being the life of the party, wrote a scathing critique of the way people talk about existence. He noticed that certain words—like genuine, unique, encounter, and dialogue—were being stripped of their actual meaning. They were becoming a "jargon." This isn't just a linguistic quirk. It’s a way of using language to make things sound profound and spiritual when they are actually just products or social expectations.
What Adorno Actually Meant by the Jargon of Authenticity
Let’s get nerdy for a second. Adorno was looking at thinkers like Martin Heidegger. He felt they used a specific kind of elevated, "sacred" vocabulary to describe everyday life. They talked about "Being" with a capital B. They talked about "The Call."
Adorno hated it.
He thought this language created a false sense of depth. When someone uses the jargon of authenticity, they aren't actually describing a complex reality. They are using "aura" words to end a conversation. Think about how people use the word "vibe" today. Or how a corporate mission statement talks about "human-centric values." It sounds good. It feels warm. But if you try to pin down what it actually means in practice, it’s like trying to grab smoke.
The jargon works by making the speaker sound like they have some direct line to a higher truth. It’s a linguistic trick. It takes the messy, contradictory reality of being a human and sprinkles "authenticity" glitter over it to hide the cracks.
Why the "Real Me" is a Marketing Myth
You’ve seen the ads. A model with perfectly messy hair staring into a sunset. The caption says, "Authenticity is the new luxury."
Wait. Think about that.
If authenticity is a luxury, it’s a commodity. It’s something you buy. This is the heart of the problem. We’ve turned a philosophical concept into a brand identity. The jargon of authenticity allows companies to sell us things that promise to reveal our "true selves." But if you need a specific brand of organic kombucha to be your true self, are you actually being authentic?
📖 Related: Act Like an Angel Dress Like Crazy: The Secret Psychology of High-Contrast Style
Probably not.
Social media has accelerated this to an insane degree. We have "authenticity" filters. We have "photo dumps" that are meticulously curated to look uncurated. We are performing the idea of being real.
Sociologist Erving Goffman talked about "front stage" and "back stage" behavior back in the 50s. Today, the back stage has been digitized. We show the "messy" kitchen, but we make sure the lighting is still good. That’s the jargon in visual form. It’s a code. We use it to signal to others that we are part of the "real" club, but the very act of signaling makes it a performance.
The Language of the Self-Help Trap
If you pick up a modern self-help book, you’ll find the jargon on every page. "Step into your power." "Live your truth." "Manifest your destiny."
These phrases feel empowering in the moment. Honestly, they do. But they often ignore the structural realities of life. It’s easy to talk about "living your truth" when you have a safety net. It’s a lot harder when you’re working three jobs and can’t pay rent.
Adorno argued that the jargon of authenticity actually makes us more passive. By focusing so much on our "inner soul" and our "authentic feelings," we stop looking at the world around us. We stop questioning why things are the way they are. If I’m obsessed with my internal "alignment," I’m probably not thinking about labor laws or environmental policy. The jargon turns our attention inward, which is very convenient for the people who run the world.
The Problem with "Just Being Yourself" at Work
Workplace culture is a goldmine for this stuff. Have you ever been told to "bring your whole self to work"?
It’s a trap. Usually.
What they actually mean is "bring the parts of yourself that are productive and pleasant, but keep the rest hidden." If your "authentic self" is someone who is depressed, cynical about capitalism, and hates morning meetings, your boss probably doesn't actually want to see that.
👉 See also: 61 Fahrenheit to Celsius: Why This Specific Number Matters More Than You Think
The jargon of authenticity in the office is a way to make professional exploitation feel like a personal relationship. It turns a contract—labor for money—into a "community" or a "mission." When a company uses this language, they are trying to bypass your natural defenses. They want your loyalty, not just your hours.
How to Spot the Jargon in the Wild
You don't need a PhD in philosophy to see this happening. You just need to listen for words that sound like they have a halo around them.
- "Curation": It used to be for museums. Now it’s for your breakfast. It implies a "deep" artistic choice behind everything.
- "Vulnerability": Thanks to Brené Brown (who has some great points, to be fair), this word is now a requirement for leadership. But "vulnerability" as a performance is just another mask.
- "Intentionality": This is the holy grail of the jargon. Doing things "with intention" makes even the most mundane task sound like a spiritual practice.
- "Organic": Not just for vegetables anymore. We want "organic growth" and "organic connections."
The irony is that the more we use these words, the less we actually feel them. We are using the language of depth to cover up a feeling of shallowness.
Is There Any "Real" Authenticity Left?
This is the hard part. If the language of authenticity is a lie, does that mean being authentic is impossible?
Not necessarily. But it’s a lot messier than the jargon suggests.
Real authenticity isn't a state of being you reach after buying the right journal. It’s a constant, painful struggle. It’s about making choices that have consequences. Sartre, another contemporary of Adorno’s era, talked about "bad faith." This is when we lie to ourselves about our own freedom. We pretend we "have" to do something because of our job, our family, or "the way things are."
Authenticity, in the philosophical sense, is realizing you always have a choice, even if those choices are terrible. That’s scary. It’s much easier to hide behind the jargon.
Moving Beyond the Jargon
So, what do we do? Do we stop using the word "authentic" forever? Maybe.
If we want to get away from the jargon of authenticity, we have to start being more honest about our contradictions. We have to admit that we are often performative. We have to acknowledge that we are shaped by our environment, our culture, and our economic status.
✨ Don't miss: 5 feet 8 inches in cm: Why This Specific Height Tricky to Calculate Exactly
We aren't these pure, untainted "souls" trapped in a bad world. We are part of the world.
Instead of searching for a "true self" that exists somewhere deep inside like a buried treasure, maybe we should focus on what we do. Our actions are the only things that are actually real. The words we use to describe them are secondary.
Actionable Steps to De-Jargon Your Life
If you’re feeling suffocated by the "realness" of everyone around you, here are a few ways to ground yourself.
1. Audit your vocabulary. The next time you’re about to use a word like "authentic" or "intentional," stop. Ask yourself what you actually mean. Are you trying to describe a specific feeling, or are you just using a buzzword to sound more legitimate? Try to use plain language instead. Instead of "I want to be more intentional with my time," try "I want to spend less time on my phone because it makes me feel like garbage."
2. Embrace the "inauthentic" moments. Stop trying to make everything a meaningful experience. It’s okay to just go to work, do your job, and go home. It’s okay to buy a shirt because you like the color, not because it "represents your journey." There is a weird kind of freedom in being superficial sometimes.
3. Look for the "why" behind the language. When someone—a brand, a politician, an influencer—uses the jargon, ask what they want from you. Are they trying to sell you something? Are they trying to get you to work harder for less money? Are they trying to avoid a difficult question?
4. Accept the mess. Real life doesn't have a "vibe." It’s a chaotic mix of boredom, anxiety, joy, and frustration. Any philosophy or lifestyle brand that tries to smooth those edges off is selling you the jargon. Authenticity isn't a polished finished product; it’s the raw, unedited footage.
We don't need better jargon. We need more honesty about how hard it is to be a person in the 21st century. The jargon of authenticity promises us a shortcut to a meaningful life, but the meaning is usually found in the things the jargon tries to hide.
It's in the awkward silences, the failed attempts, and the moments where we have no idea who we are. And honestly? That's perfectly fine.
Key Takeaways for Navigating the Jargon
- The term the jargon of authenticity comes from Theodor Adorno’s critique of how we use "spiritual" language to mask mundane or commercial realities.
- Authenticity has become a commodity, sold back to us through marketing and "curated" social media personas.
- Workplace "authenticity" is often a tool for emotional labor, encouraging employees to invest their personal identities into corporate structures.
- True authenticity isn't a destination or a brand; it’s the difficult process of acknowledging our own freedom and the contradictions of our lives.
- Breaking free from the jargon requires using simpler, more direct language and accepting the unpolished parts of our existence.
Further Reading and Sources
- The Jargon of Authenticity by Theodor W. Adorno (1964)
- The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life by Erving Goffman
- The Ethics of Authenticity by Charles Taylor
- Being and Nothingness by Jean-Paul Sartre
Stop performing. Start noticing the performance. That's the first step out of the jargon.
Next Steps for You
- Identify three "halo words" you use frequently in your professional bio or social media captions.
- Rewrite those sections using only concrete, descriptive verbs and nouns.
- Notice the difference in how it feels to read—it will likely feel "flatter," but it will also be more honest.