We receive news releases daily. More and more they are using complex terms in an effort, I think, to obfuscate. See I did it right there. I used a complex word (obfuscate) when a simple one, like blur, muddle, confuse, would have worked just as well.
In this case, the news release was filled with words like “cloud based mobility infrastructure platform”. It continues using “ecosystem of value driven services” and “unified platform through which they can consolidate and analyze their disparate management information.”
I love this phrase: “extensible architecture and cloud-based platform truly revolutionize the industry by providing customers and mobility partners comprehensive real-time, ecosystem data and sophisticated management tools.”
At the bottom of each news release is a paragraph that describes just what the company that sent out the release does. This line summarizes: “a future-ready philosophy that manifests itself in a smart ecosystem of solutions, products, and integrations that work together to improve mobility.”
The last line sums it up: “robust real-time data services provide efficient, secure transactions and business intelligence for organizations of all sizes and industry spectrums.”
There is not one hint in the entire 500 word release that tells you what the company does (I know that it creates reliable, high tech cloud based parking revenue control systems.) I note that the release comes from a PR agency and not from the company itself.
Is someone is trying to impress someone with their ability to use complex terms or are they simply trying to communicate? I will go with the latter.
Our world, it seems, has become a complexity of Twitter, Smart Phones, and computer games. Nothing is simple. A tree isn’t green, its Hunter, or Pine, or Sage. The Sky isn’t blue, its Azure. Things don’t move fast; they move at light speed. Something doesn’t happen quickly; it happens in a milli-second. Everything is an ecosystem, done in ‘real time’, is ‘cutting edge’, and ‘future-ready.”
This has become a part of our world. The author of the news release isn’t to blame, they are simply following the lead they see on their phone, display, or TV. Hemingway is spinning in his grave.
Hopefully this trend is changing. We hear that some are dumping their smartphones for flip phones and using them for, can you believe it, talking to people. People are leaving Instagram because they are beginning to understand that it is a haven for the self-centered and bs.
Let’s make a pact. Strive for clarity. Let your 10 year old read it. If they can’t understand it, the odds are that no one else can either.
JVH
2 Responses
Amen!
Ditto!