Hyperbole

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/04/hyperbole-love-hate-language-linguistics

Guardian article on the overuse of hyperboles in our language. The example they give is of a review calling a pizza 'earth-shatteringly good' but also individual words that have lost their punch like iconic, unique and freezing.

Claudia Claridge, a linguist that studies hyperboles said that it "highlights speaker attitudes and emotions with the intention of having these shared by the hearer" through what she has called "emotive persuasion"

http://zenpencils.com/comic/95-louis-c-k-we-dont-think-about-how-we-talk/

A ZenPencils comic on the same issue, using a quote from Louis C. K.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/06/internet-hyperbole-charlie-brooker

Charlie Brooker's take on the subject, mostly just mocking people that use hyperboles and/or smartphones in what has become a fairly generic 'kids these days' rant.