Merriam-Webster Dictionary marked the year 2022 with the word “gaslighting.” The origins of this word can be traced back to a 1938 play entitled Gas Light. The story follows a recently married couple.
The husband often secretly goes into the attic, which causes the gas-powered lights in the house to dim. However, when his wife remarks on the changing lights, the husband refutes her claim and asserts that they are not dimming at all. The wife begins to doubt her own perception of reality. The husband’s scheme gave rise to the original meaning of the term, which Merriam-Webster defines as: “psychological manipulation of a person over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question their reality.”
Online searches for this term surged in 2022 by 1,740%. Through social media sites like TikTok, the term “gaslighting” has evolved from obscurity into a colloquial buzzword. The way in which the word is defined has changed with its rise in popularity. It’s now often used to describe deliberately and severely misleading someone, especially for personal gain. The phrase is no longer restricted to a specific form of emotional abuse within relationships and is now commonplace in political, marketing and entertainment contexts. Throughout former US president Donald Trump’s time in office, a critic claimed that he was gaslighting the public by denying statements he had made previously.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash / 照片：Unsplash提供
The development of the term gaslighting can also be attributed to the convenience of the internet. The internet is an explosion of information, which unfortunately also enables the spread of misinformation. Fraud and manipulation are widespread on the internet. A study showed that 20% of search suggestions on TikTok contained incorrect information. Although gaslighting is not a new phenomenon, the public’s hyperawareness of this form of deception is. With this increased understanding comes the hope that people will be more cautious about the information they see online.
韋伯字典用「gaslighting」（煤氣燈操縱）這個單詞代表了西元2022年。這個單詞的起源可以追溯到西元1938年一部名為《煤氣燈下》的戲劇。故事發生於一對新婚夫婦身上。
丈夫經常偷偷溜進閣樓，導致屋內的煤氣燈變暗。然而，當他的妻子談到變化的燈光時，丈夫卻駁斥她的說法並堅稱燈光根本沒有變暗。妻子因此開始懷疑自己對現實的感知。這位丈夫的詭計促成該詞的原始含義，韋伯字典將其定義為：「長時間內對一個人進行心理操縱，導致受害者質疑他們所認知的現實。」
西元2022年，該詞的線上搜尋量激增了1,740%。透過抖音等社群媒體網站，「gaslighting」已從鮮為人知的單詞演變為口語化的流行用語。隨著它越來越流行，定義這個單詞的方式也發生了變化。現在常用來形容故意和嚴重誤導某人，尤其是為了自身利益。這個用語不再只是侷限於人際關係中特定形式的情感虐待，它現今於政治、行銷和娛樂圈中早已司空見慣。在唐納•川普整個執政期間，一位批評者聲稱川普藉由否認他自己之前發表過的言論來煽動大眾。
煤氣燈操縱一詞的發展也可歸因於網路的便利性。資訊爆炸的網路時代，卻也不幸地助長了假消息的傳播。詐騙及操縱在網路上很普遍。一項研究顯示，抖音上20%的搜尋建議含有不正確的資訊。雖然煤氣燈操縱不是一種新的現象，但公眾對這種欺騙形式的高度警覺卻是新的。隨著更加了解，希望人們對他們在網上看到的資訊會更加謹慎。
MORE INFORMATION
gaslighting n. 煤氣燈效應；情感操縱
misinformation n. 錯誤資訊；假消息
attic n. 閣樓
surge vi. 激增；湧入
buzzword n. 流行用語
fraud n. 詐騙；騙子
hyperawareness n. 高度警覺；高度意識
deception n. 欺騙；隱瞞
KEY VOCABULARY
1. entitle vt. 為……命名；給予權利
The movie “Carol” is based on a novel entitled The Price of Salt.
電影《因為愛你》改編自一本名為《鹽的代價》的小說。
2. refute vt. 駁斥；否認……的正確性
The other team refuted my arguments and our team lost the debating contest.
對方駁斥了我的論點，我們這組輸掉了辯論競賽。
3. perception n. 感知；觀念；看法
The goal behind this photographer’s work is to make people reconsider their perceptions of migrant workers.
這名攝影師作品背後的目的是要使人們重新考慮他們對移工的看法。
4. manipulation n. 操縱
The customers were victims of manipulation because the store lied about its products.
這些顧客是受到操縱的受害者，因為那間商店在產品上撒了謊。
5. obscurity n. 鮮為人知；默默無名
The young singer rose from total obscurity to worldwide fame.
這位年輕的歌手從完全默默無名到紅遍全世界。
6. colloquial adj. 口語的；非正式的
This expression is fine for a colloquial speech but not for formal writing.
對口語演講來說這種表達方式沒問題，但不宜用在正式寫作。
7. deliberately adv. 故意地；從容地
I told Greg not to call me during class, but he deliberately ignored my request.
我告訴葛瑞格上課時不要打給我，但他故意無視我的要求。
8. commonplace adj. 常見的；普遍的
Today, it’s commonplace for people to use their smartphones constantly.
如今，人們經常地使用智慧型手機是很常見的。
9. attribute vt. 歸因；歸咎
attribute sth to sb / sth 把……歸因於
? Hazel’s teacher attributed her learning difficulties to emotional problems.
海柔的老師將她的學習困難歸咎於情緒問題。
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