This is about the mentality of "Keep It Simple Stupid" contributing in a major way to the dumbing down of Society.
(first Published on Writer's Diner when I was a regular columnist)

In the news at least once a month, we in the United States hear the phrase “the dumbing down of society”. When the newscasters say it, they are generally talking about the lowering of standards in schools. The problem is far more systemic than just the schools. Though newspapers and TV news will not admit that they limit their use of certain vocabulary in their presentation of the news, it is increasingly evident this is the case.

In a call to a local news room to find out if it was an intentional omission of vocabulary found in most standardized tests taken by high school students across the country, I found out that the “KISS” method is still very much in use today. By the simple act of using the “KISS” (Keep It Simple Stupid) method of reporting, the news lowers the literacy standards for adults within the society. Once those standards are lowered, the next generation often does not feel compelled to learn the basic vocabulary expected of High School Graduates. This perpetuates a vicious cycle that leads to “the dumbing down of society” as a whole.

The KISS principle was originally used in media as a way to insure the poorly educated people in rural areas aware of what was happening within their community and country. While this principle is noble, it does limit both the writer and reader to a simplistic form of communication.

The mentality that our readers and listeners are not as intelligent as we are is often a fallacy. Yet it is still passed from one generation of journalists and writers to the next.

With television news originating in the early 1900’s, the standards set for the KISS principle were set at or around a level that elementary school students of today can comprehend. While keeping information simple enough for the majority of the population to understand is a good rule to follow, we are often led to believe that the literacy level is far lower than it actually is.

In the early 1900’s most people were lucky to have little more than a primary school education. By the 1960’s the demographic had begun to change to a larger number of High School Graduates. By the end of the 1900’s a majority of society had a High School Diploma or equivalency and many have furthered their education.

Does this mean that the media should keep the same standards originated when few outside of the social elite had college educations?

Absolutely not. The standards should be raised. But we cannot expect this to happen over night, as we as a society have gotten used to information being relayed in a simple manner.

Many feel that any one who doesn’t apply the KISS principle to their writing is pompous, believing themselves better than those around them. This is often a false assumption. Writing non-fiction is often a walk on a tight rope between verboseness, using too many words to arrive at the point, and perceived pretentiousness, creating a false sense of importance or worth.

In an attempt to “keep it simple stupid”, some writers might try to limit the number of words used, using one larger word instead of the six that are effectively the definition of the word. While some would argue that this more direct route is the better way to approach writing, others would argue that this approach alienates the intended audience. Some would even cheer the use of smaller words and the limiting the use of words with more than two syllables.

Simple, as defined by the fourth definition in Miriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, lacking knowledge, expertise or substance. Is that what we as writers want to convey? Few would like that definition applied to them personally, so why would we want the words we convey to have that applied to it. After all aren’t a writer’s words a reflection of themselves?

Many studies have been done to come up with a formula by which to effectively calculate the reading level of a given piece of writing. One of these formulas boils it all down to sentence structure and use of multi syllable words. By using this method it was determined that one of the leading papers in the United States, The New York Times, is commonly written on an 11th grade or 12th grade reading level. Time Magazine was written at an 11th grade reading level. However smaller papers are written at a lower level such as 6th, 7th, or 8th grade reading level.

Though most people expect to find articles at a middle school level in their local paper, there still remain a large number of people who feel as though they are not taken into consideration when reporters convey the information in such a simplistic manner.

Is there a happy medium on this issue? Yes, but it is doubtful that either side will ever agree as to what that happy medium is. If we are not careful, however, comprehension rates will continue to drop as vocabulary that is not used is often lost. It would take a great deal of discussion and adjustment on both sides of the issue to come to a middle ground, but wouldn’t it be worth the effort?

Many in a community I lived in did not read the local paper as it was written on a fifth grade reading level, there was no challenge to either the writer or the reader. Effectively the paper took the information it culled from other sources and simplified it to a point that my neighbor’s 10 year old son could read the entire paper front to back, and he was an average reader at best.

When the reading public begins to react adversely to the simplifying of the news, newspapers will have no option but to raise the standards. As the standards of local papers and news broadcasts are raised, we will then be able to legitimately hold the next generation to higher standards of literacy. Until one word is no longer too much and six words are no longer just right, there will be a systemic “dumbing down of society".