“Proficuous” is based on the Latin “proficuus,” meaning “beneficial,” but the modern usage of the word can mean “useful” or “profitable” — sometimes these elements are not one and the same. Social media has become a repository for proficuous information as users share life hacks, such as “how to fold a fitted sheet” or “8 ways to use lemons for cleaning.” These tidbits of advice used to be shared from person to person or in practical magazines such as “Good Housekeeping” and “Popular Mechanics.” It was commonplace to cut out a clipping of a good recipe or a useful home gardening tip and share it with a neighbor, but now social media has turned the practice viral. When these tips go viral, they can become monetarily proficuous for the creator.