An interesting story on The Inquirer got me thinking about the trend in technology writing. There seems to be an increasing divide between the people who use technology and the people who understand how it works, even if only on a basic or theoretical level. Many of today's articles, reviews, and books are aimed at lower and lower levels of technological understanding. Where does it end? Next year will we be treated to articles that refer to computers as "magic boxes?"

I'm all for explaining complex concepts in ways that curious people can understand, but there has to be limit to the simplification. Alaskan senator Ted Stevens is famous for oversimplifying the way the Internet works by referring to it as a series of "tubes" in his speech favoring corporate control of Internet data pathways. BBC pieces that refer to a CPU as the computer's "brain" are not really helpful to anyone, either. The more you simplify an explanation, the less accurate it is.

At the other end of the scale are technical publications that few people can understand because they use terms and assumed information that is impossible to understand through context alone, and don't offer definitions or explanations in sufficient depth. Such works are usually produced by people who are experts on a subject, but aren't very good writers. This leaves the challenge up to the editor, who is frequently unqualified to make significant changes to an article he doesn't fully understand.

Unfortunately, people who can't grasp the basics of computer technology comprise a huge market for publishers. The stupider you make something, the wider its market is supposed to be because more readers can understand it. When you take this route, though, you end up alienating the other portion of the readership that isn't tech-ignorant and enjoys a good, thorough article or book. Maybe if you're smart, you're less likely to click on ads or buy a book or a subscription? I do know that there is some evidence to suggest that the more technologically savvy a reader is, the less likely he is to click on an ad on a Web site. It's a shame that the financial incentive is to write dumbed down technical content.

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Copyright 2007 JEM Electronic Media, Inc. No reprints without written permission.