Is the written word more powerful than the seven second blurb on a video? Probably not. Those of us who are writers lose this war daily. Images gain attention. Words on paper fade away.
It’s a sad state when you think about our current world, because in the rush to judge, our focus tracks images more intently than it does a lengthy written story. Reading a story takes time, concentration and effort. You must consider perspectives. You have to digest information. Getting on YouTube or watching a short news clip is far easier. You watch, you’re done. But did you think about what you saw? No, because your attention is quickly directed to the next news clip or you search for the next video you want to click on.
Public discourse loses as our attention spans shrink and follow images rather than spending extra time reading and digging into the issues more deeply. What’s a writer to do?
We must be translators of information, taking complex policy issues and simplifying them in a manner that others can easily understand. The language we use must be clear. If you obfuscate or take multiple sentences to explain a process, you will likely lose the reader. Keep explanations short. Finally, writers must engage. Think about what interests a reader. Keep that in mind as you explore an issue. If your end result is a story that you enjoy reading, then you’ve probably been successful.
Writers will not turn around an angry mob. But we can certainly provide thoughtful opportunities for others to read more deeply about some of the complicated issues we face in today’s world. If we get additional people cracking open newspapers, magazines and journals, we’ve done our job.
It’s a sad state when you think about our current world, because in the rush to judge, our focus tracks images more intently than it does a lengthy written story. Reading a story takes time, concentration and effort. You must consider perspectives. You have to digest information. Getting on YouTube or watching a short news clip is far easier. You watch, you’re done. But did you think about what you saw? No, because your attention is quickly directed to the next news clip or you search for the next video you want to click on.
Public discourse loses as our attention spans shrink and follow images rather than spending extra time reading and digging into the issues more deeply. What’s a writer to do?
We must be translators of information, taking complex policy issues and simplifying them in a manner that others can easily understand. The language we use must be clear. If you obfuscate or take multiple sentences to explain a process, you will likely lose the reader. Keep explanations short. Finally, writers must engage. Think about what interests a reader. Keep that in mind as you explore an issue. If your end result is a story that you enjoy reading, then you’ve probably been successful.
Writers will not turn around an angry mob. But we can certainly provide thoughtful opportunities for others to read more deeply about some of the complicated issues we face in today’s world. If we get additional people cracking open newspapers, magazines and journals, we’ve done our job.