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One of the things that annoys me most about modern journalism is the use of "we" and "our" as if everyone in the population does the thing or has the experience
by mbostleman 8y ago
One of the things that annoys me most about modern journalism is the use of "we" and "our" as if everyone in the population does the thing or has the experience that is being described. So I find it somehow ironic that a journalist is grieving the loss of private selves when he doesn't even recognize an individual self.
- claudiawerner 8y agoThe "we" being used aims to articulate that a particular trend is visible in society in general; it does not include everyone, and it may not even include the reader. This kind of phrasing in the most general sense is sometimes necessary to firstly avoid looking patronizing and secondly to show that the author considers themselves so humble as to be part of the group under analysis. The trend may be at least partly inherited from critical theory.
- mbostleman 8y agoHow ever it's justified, it's a style choice. It can just as easily be replaced with a sentence or two that provides some actual statistical context like the percentage of users from various demographic groups. That would serve to increase my engagement rather than having the opposite effect of making me want to stop reading. But maybe it's just me.