I first learned that term from Kuhn's book, which I found very important at the time. It was later that the term "paradigm" became popularized into general culture by Joel Barker.

I met Barker and attended a few of his early lectures. Insightful person. He did not misuse the term in my opinion.

It's a shame that the word has been maligned. It's a useful term for which there isn't a very good synonym, making it difficult to actually discuss paradigmatic issues. People groan and roll their eyes if they hear this term used these days.