I am working on an academic paper, and I want to describe the scientific community's hype regarding a certain technology. The word 'hype' is concise and describes exactly what I mean, but I'm not sure the word has the proper tone for an academic document. Is there an alternative term or concise phrase that gets the same idea across in a more academic tone?
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I'm not as academic as the link on your profile shows you are, but my thinking is, if it can be found in all these federal court cases ([scholar.google.com/…), then maybe it's OK in an academic setting as well.– zpletanCommented Apr 10, 2012 at 21:16
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Are you looking for a word that simply means that something is being promoted aggressively, or one with the sometimes-more-negative connotation?– zpletanCommented Apr 10, 2012 at 21:17
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6 Answers
Aggrandizement ("act of aggrandizing", ie, of making to appear great or greater) may serve, or perhaps exaltation ("the act of exalting or raising high"), glorification ("act of glorifying", particularly in sense of making something appear more glorious than it is), deification ("act of deifying", ie, of treating as worthy of worship or regarding as a deity). Less formally, consider kowtowing, advertising, or buzzing.
answered Apr 10, 2012 at 18:25
Maybe buildup would work, if there is a sense of increasing attention being paid to the technology.
Or perhaps "the scientific community's enthusiasm for a technology is..."
How about aggressive promotion or overblown promotion?
I think hype is perfectly fine, even in a formal academic context -- it is the best word for the job... If you want to tip a hat to the formality, consider italicising it, or putting it in quotes.
What about increasing popularity?
(Maybe that doesn't carry a negative enough connotation for what you want, but that inference could be handled by the accompanying context.)
What about using the word from which "hype" probably originated — hyperbole?
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