We use words everyday and the vocabulary we use seems to be more dumbed down than ever. So why do words matter?
Yes I am writing in English so I can only speak for the English language but we seem to have lost so many beautiful descriptive words over time and it makes reading articles boring and doesn’t hold my attention. Have you noticed something similar?
How many times have you seen the title of an article and thought, yes! That is something I want to read? So you start the process and go through the hoops of declining all the advertising and restrict the amount they can follow you (So glad that we live in the EU where we have more rights. – I hope!)
You thought, yes! I can learn from this and gain knowledge. I am ready to learn more. Inspire me!
Then as you start reading and continue, the enthusiasm just drains and you feel the smile drop to a frown. Yet another one written to fit into the wonderful algorithm of whatever platform. The SEO sinkhole.
The whole thing about finding the keyword and applying it the set amount of times in one article is exhausting.. The word or synonyms just spread through the site. Does it even make sense? Sadly, no.
So often I find myself reading a post and when I have finished (If I have even managed to continue the article at all.) I find myself at a loss. Just what did I learn from that? Nothing. The words were pieced together to conform to some algorithm. A waste of time.
It can be so hard to find some interesting articles written that draw me in and keep me there till the end and I find myself informed about the topic.
Just why is an algorithm deciding what I should read or find? No algorithm can suit every human.
How many people have been using words as they find them as keywords in their search but are not using them correctly.
We have lost the love of our own language
Have you noticed the increase in the words such as “Sustainable…” ?
A word is selected and then taken over by every aspect of society. How many are using it appropriately?
That is a good question.
I miss the excitement I had as a child to walk into our local library and feel like I am in paradise and I can find out everything. The knowledge in this building felt overwhelming and so exciting. What am I going to learn today?
To be able to walk around the aisles and decide for myself what I want to read.
It was so magical. Our librarian was like a fountain of information. She knew exactly where all the books were and how to help us find what we were looking for.
I am so glad that I had the chance to experience it.
Oh and yes I still feel like that when I walk into a library. A smile spreads across my face and I feel inspired. My bookshelves are full of books.
Of course there were computers and some online connections but not the extent it is now. Who else remembers the old dial up sound? You could read a novel while you were waiting for the dial up to connect or even another page could be loaded.
Then the internet seemed to explode
The internet appeared and it is absolutely wonderful and amazing to think just how much information is there.
How many people don’t even use the internet to learn or to find out information themselves. They rely on a platform to feed them the news. Or an algorithm tells them what they should be watching, reading or consuming. That is scary for me.
It feels like people love being drip fed information. They don’t even know how to look for information.
Are we losing the love of learning?
The curiosity that we all had as children, if that is lost it would be so sad. There is nothing nicer than going down those rabbit holes of information… you never know what you will learn when you start asking why and learning something new.
I love the questions kids ask. Why is the sky blue? Why are my fingers different lengths? Oh so many questions that adults don’t even ponder. They just accept.
The excitement of looking up information together and learning together is so much fun. It leads to wonderful memories.
It is not the keywords that I want to know, they are not the information I want to gain.
I know I have enjoyed reading articles on blogs which are not at the top of the search engine.
What about the people who don’t use Google as a search engine?
Think about the words you are using
We still live in a world where we can choose the way we look for information. If we need to find out something we can search for ourselves. There are other search engines and ones that don’t even track everything we do.(Again I hope so.)
Wow! Strange concept that.
There still are reference books and so many books written by intelligent people who are experts in their field. They write in such ways that inspire you and you don’t feel time passing. You don’t even realise the wealth of information that you are gaining.
To reiterate, I love the internet and I think it is a wonderful tool if used positively. There is so much information at our fingertips. We all have access and the possibility of enriching our lives. Unfortunately so many are lazy and let it funnel things to them.
We all know about how things can go when the internet is used negatively and information is controlled and suppressed and we are funnelled information as if we wear blinkers.
Maybe we should look at the internet as positive and started using it to learn more about things.
Don’t get sucked into chasing the top sites on search engines. Who wants to click on a site that is stuffed with the same words, makes no sense and provides us with no information at all. They are probably paying to be ranked that high.
All they are doing is chasing the algorithm which can be changed at the drop of a hat by those that are controlling it.
I suppose the art of using click bait is well known and used by so many. The other way of looking at it is how many of us are annoyed at being lied to by the title and feel frustrated at once again losing that time and gaining nothing out of it. Used once again.
Words are important and they do matter
They still have the power to positively influence people and guide them to a lifelong love of learning.
Personally I still love the thrill of holding a new book in my hands. The excitement of starting a new journey. Feeling enriched by the vocabulary used. From the words I can form my own world, imagine the characters and the locations. That spark is exhilarating.
Spending time with children as they learn to read and watch that spark grow in them. The realisation that being able to read will open so many opportunities. They will be able to learn for themselves. Oh the places they can go.
