McBrother

McBrother is a word describing attempts by corporations or governments to redefine the landscape of a language by any of several means, including petitions, court-ordered action, or viral marketing/media efforts. Inspired by the efforts of McDonald's in 2007 to remove the word McJob from the Oxford English Dictionary, the word invokes the dystopic modification of language in the book 1984 by George Orwell, i.e. 'Big Brother is watching you.' Other variants include 'Big MacBrother' and 'McOrwell'.

The word has also been used in reference to attempts by McDonald's to monitor its employees more closely using biometric technology or other means e.g. see article by Smith from The Globe and Mail below.

See also

• McWords

External links

• Is Big McBrother invading workplace privacy?, The Globe and Mail, 13 January 2004