3 ms·

Er... maybe I'm missing something but I need to see more evidence. I searched for these adverbs on several major newspapers' websites: sure, there might be one

Er... maybe I'm missing something but I need to see more evidence. I searched for these adverbs on several major newspapers' websites: sure, there might be one or two newly fashionable phrases, but this usage pattern isn't new. Unless I'm missing something, I think the author is pointing out a pretty normal thing that most people don't notice and attributing it to something that let's people feel smug. That's a great way to generate hype around your blog, though.

vlunkr 4y ago
It should be compared with other comment sections, not newspapers. I agree though, this is a weird take.
- DrewADesign 4y ago
  > It should be compared with other comment sections, not newspapers. Not sure why though. The author is using HN as a proxy for SV, generally-- not just talking about a trend on HN. (Which is a dubious conclusion by itself.) He's saying this usage makes the writing style a) peculiar, b) a new trend, c) intended to unnecessarily convey hype, d) specific to SV culture, and e) something 'no decent writer' would do. This style was used consistently in national, prestigious non-SV media for the past few decades so it's a) not peculiar, b) not SV-specific, c) not new, and d) not specific to bad writers. I doubt it's used solely to unnecessarily convey hype but I didn't dig that far into the newspaper examples.
jonahx 4y ago
This is nothing more than the kind of writing that people have complained about since Orwell and Hemingway, and probably long before. HN and SV are not special offenders here. It's just good old-fashioned over-writing. You see it everwhere.
oxfordmale 4y ago
You really want to read the following comment!!! I have years of experience working in the start-up industry and can give you life-changing insights. If you follow my 3 simple tips, you will become a millionaire within a year!!! Okay, I best stop here before I end up on the /HackerNewLunatics on Reddit. The problem is that we live in an age with a surplus of information. If you want people to read your article or blog rather than the million others on the same topic, you must somehow lure them in. "I am a boring person with a boring career, please read my article" doesn't quite tend to cut it anymore. This results in the word hyperinflation you observe. As a result, finding good-quality articles on certain topics has become more challenging, and I suspect it will only get worse with ChatGPT-4 around the corner. I don't think this phenomenon is exclusive to Silicon Valley. If anything, Silicon Valley has calmed down somewhat. There seem to be fewer start-ups that provide a solution to a problem that doesn't exists (think Juicero)

vlunkr 4y ago

It should be compared with other comment sections, not newspapers. I agree though, this is a weird take.

DrewADesign 4y ago
> It should be compared with other comment sections, not newspapers. Not sure why though. The author is using HN as a proxy for SV, generally-- not just talking about a trend on HN. (Which is a dubious conclusion by itself.) He's saying this usage makes the writing style a) peculiar, b) a new trend, c) intended to unnecessarily convey hype, d) specific to SV culture, and e) something 'no decent writer' would do. This style was used consistently in national, prestigious non-SV media for the past few decades so it's a) not peculiar, b) not SV-specific, c) not new, and d) not specific to bad writers. I doubt it's used solely to unnecessarily convey hype but I didn't dig that far into the newspaper examples.

jonahx 4y ago

This is nothing more than the kind of writing that people have complained about since Orwell and Hemingway, and probably long before. HN and SV are not special offenders here. It's just good old-fashioned over-writing. You see it everwhere.

oxfordmale 4y ago

You really want to read the following comment!!! I have years of experience working in the start-up industry and can give you life-changing insights. If you follow my 3 simple tips, you will become a millionaire within a year!!! Okay, I best stop here before I end up on the /HackerNewLunatics on Reddit. The problem is that we live in an age with a surplus of information. If you want people to read your article or blog rather than the million others on the same topic, you must somehow lure them in. "I am a boring person with a boring career, please read my article" doesn't quite tend to cut it anymore. This results in the word hyperinflation you observe. As a result, finding good-quality articles on certain topics has become more challenging, and I suspect it will only get worse with ChatGPT-4 around the corner. I don't think this phenomenon is exclusive to Silicon Valley. If anything, Silicon Valley has calmed down somewhat. There seem to be fewer start-ups that provide a solution to a problem that doesn't exists (think Juicero)