'Because useful': Casual use of 'because' crowns it word of the year "Patriarchy," "bacon," "people" and "fun" are other nouns which have been frequently joined with "because" over the past year too. The online "because" pheonomenon has roots in meme culture, such as the "Because f--- you" meme invented in 2001. A number of "because science" memes, blogs and even merchandise have sprung up since. Ben Zimmer, chairman of the dialect society's new words committee, explained: "No longer does 'because' have to be followed by 'of' or a full clause," he said in a statement. Now one often sees tersely worded rationales like 'because science' or 'because reasons.' You might not go to a party 'because tired.' As one supporter put it, 'because' should be word of the year 'because useful!' The society recognised other words that had proliferated thanks to the internet. "Sharknado," the name of an unexpectedly successful B-Movie that sparked a Twitterstorm when it aired on the SyFy channel, gained 162 votes from its members, winning in the Most Unnecessary category. "Catfish," the verb meaning to represent oneself falsely online inspired by the 2010 documentary of the same name, won in the Most Creative category.