Do people purposely word things just to sound smarter, or is there a reason?
Posted by No_Insurance_6436@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 55 comments
Geniune question because I'm confused. I oftentimes hear people describe simple coding concepts with unnecesarry terms, especially when showing things to clients
"We've deployed a LSDS in tangent with an AI-enhanced precision DAP to more quickly locate client requested data"
And you look at the code and it's an array with a pointer. It reminds me of people in school, there was always someone in class trying to make their solution sound way more complex than it actually is.
Is it for money? To hide the fact that the project is really simple, and that the client may have overpaid?
Guideon72@reddit
It depends who is saying it and within what context. If it is 2 Engineers, it’s usually information encapsulation, for brevity’s sake. If it is Marketing or Mgmnt talking to clients/customers/investors it is usually the classic “If you can’t blind ‘em with brilliance, baffle ‘em with bullshit” reasoning.
Aggressive_Ad_5454@reddit
I believe the technical term for this kind of statement is “bullshit”.
Hari___Seldon@reddit
This is a great example of the Dunning-Kruger effect.
AshuraBaron@reddit
It depends. Sometimes you need to project confidence and competence. So being wordy can help accomplish that. Other times it's just people trying to look smart. Other times they want to communicate a dense amount of information quickly. It's case by case.
unkownstonerlord@reddit
"It depends. Sometimes you need to project confidence and competence. So being wordy can help accomplish that. Other times it's just people trying to look smart." uhh , those 2 are the same thing ..
flumphit@reddit
Sometimes sounding smart makes the customer happy. Sometimes it’s just to stroke your own ego.
unkownstonerlord@reddit
hand in hand
Sfpkt@reddit
This isn’t only a thing in programming. It’s rampant across most STEM professions. I hate it
InVultusSolis@reddit
This has been going on forever. There's nothing like overhearing a bunch of Java developers bloviating about how they're using Java's OOP constructs to accomplish simple tasks.
Accurate_Tension_502@reddit
Restraint is a skill. People feel like they have to prove their work by making it seem more complicated. The reality is that people tune out jargon and get alienated - they aren’t sitting there going “wow this person is so smart!”
Senior leaders are often selected for their ability to convey complex things in simple terms.
ShameRepresentative7@reddit
Yes, this is exactly why you shouldn't trust anything spewed out by crypto technobros.
wolforedark@reddit
yes
dcc5594@reddit
You can't really assign a motive without specifics. I worked for an instrumentation company, where PR people would develop PowerPoints and product descriptions for the salesman. They were just repeating what was given to them without pretending to have a deep understanding. When talking a technical crowd, they brought a technical person to answer questions.
Efficient-Base-2447@reddit
I think it’s a mix of both.. sometimes people just speak in “corporate buzzword mode” until even simple stuff sounds like rocket science. Other times it’s probably just to sound more impressive than “yeah it’s basically an array with a pointer” I’ve seen the same thing in school where someone explains a simple answer like it’s a nobel prize discovery lol
unkownstonerlord@reddit
dude, you will notice this a lot in the world. the world nowadays is run on illusions.
unkownstonerlord@reddit
a large majority of people are not confident enough in their own competence, worth, intelligence, and general abilities to a level where they can communicate authentically. so much overcomplication everywhere. Someone dumb will make things seem complicated, someone smart will make things simple.
Signal_Mud_40@reddit
The last one.
iAmThe_Terry@reddit
Pretty much this, plus some devs genuinely think using fancy words makes them look more professional to clients who don't know better
I've seen it so many times in client meetings where someone will say "implement a robust algorithmic solution" when they just mean writing a for loop
elroloando@reddit
Why would you even use the “for loop”, when talking to customers?
TryTurningItOffAgain@reddit
If clients don't know any better, why do we have to explain further? Sometimes it's easier to just say "implement an algorithm" rather than your loops/logic.
SchemeWestern3388@reddit
I like being precise with my words, and have a decent vocabulary, so occasionally use “smart” words in my speech. You gotta know your audience also. Also, because I read these words much more than speak them, and Dont verbalized in my head, I’m very prone to mispronunciation with them. My gf corrects me several times a day and thinks it’s hilarious. So maybe I don’t sound so smart.
But that’s just corporate jabber.
Evilsushione@reddit
Yea know your audience. I often use less precise language because of the audience.
SerotoninAddict@reddit
that's the word i always use, too.
Usual_Ice636@reddit
Sometimes simpler is less accurate, so they just say it how they think of it instead of trying to dumb it down.
Yeah, sometimes people get mad at you if you make it sound easy.
Mortomes@reddit
This is a major reason any field of work/study uses jargon. Jargon is far more precise way to express your thoughts and ideas than everyday language.
QuarryTen@reddit
yeah oversimplification can be dangerous as it leads to assumptions made on one party, and if the other party fails to meet the expectations of the assumptions, the initial party is upset. so simplifying stuff is not always the best approach
prego_no_pao@reddit
To make it sound more expensive.
DigmonsDrill@reddit
Once they learn one buzzword/phrase, they will repeat it until they know it by heart, then add more.
teerre@reddit
Your example doesn't make sense on multiple levels. First that the description can't really be a "array with a pointer" in any reasonable context. Second, non technical people would not understand "array with a pointer" so that equally as bad
patternrelay@reddit
Sometimes people use fancy terms to sound more impressive, especially when talking to clients. It’s often a mix of trying to simplify the explanation for non-technical people or overcomplicating things to seem more sophisticated. But yeah, sometimes it's just unnecessary jargon.
practical-programmer@reddit
During my last interview for a senior role the feedback was I was somewhat vague and simple sounding when explaining what I did so it wasn't a slam dunk hire.. even senior roles I have a feeling now it maybe better to go fancy.
my last interview I was still a junior and made everything sound fancy and I landed that.
hellomistershifty@reddit
The acronyms come when you work on a project for months or years and you're tired of saying/typing some long thing over and over
DirtAndGrass@reddit
It's a pattern
lgastako@reddit
Maybe to try to sound smarter, but saying "tangent" when they meant "tandem" definitely doesn't actually sound smarter.
Bobbias@reddit
Technical jargon was created for a reason. Precision, and clarity.
When someone explicitly names a protocol, uses an initialism, etc. they are referring to something specific. Now, a lot of people don't use jargon that often, some people use it just to sound smart, etc. but there are plenty of situations where being precise and clear with your language matters too. Casual language can sometimes leave room for misinterpretation or ambiguity, and that can be a problem.
Even if you don't generally use it, you should make sure you know what people mean when they are using jargon.
Talongar@reddit
The wizards can't let the common folk know the true nature of magic so they sprinkle in some magic words to make it sound complicated.
Happens in a lot of industries where knowledge is really the only barrier to at least a base line understanding of the core principles.
Mechanics Computers Legal Finance Health
AdmirableBoat7273@reddit
Sometimes it's fancy jargon, sometimes it's just the most appropriate way to describe something.
Zesher_@reddit
Some people definitely do, for many different reasons. I personally try to speak to my audience. Like I will use different terminology when I'm talking to fellow engineers, or PMs, to non tech clients, and I talk to my parents like babies when I tell them what I'm doing because they probably can't even find a power button on a computer.
mredding@reddit
They could be bullshitters. It's typically a sign of a bad engineer. Anyone remotely competent can describe a complex subject familiar to them in layman terms.
They could be experts, and so deep into the subject that what they're saying is laced with nuance, or what's trivial to them is just burying you. If this is the type, they're saying a lot more than you realize, but the gap is wide enough that they can't tell anymore. Often it's worth asking them why they describe the solution the way they do, because it might reveal them to be the first type, above.
They could be shitty salesmen. This is an extension of the first type, above. An array with a pointer? That IS simple - and you know what that's worth? A shitload more money than something complicated. A good consultant is worth their brevity and expertise. They don't charge for time or space, they charge for results. So what if they implemented the simplest thing? If my client doesn't think my results are worth the cost, then I'll cater to their expectations - let AI generate functional garbage, let it sit for 3 weeks, and capture my rate regardless.
Sometimes you have to work WITH your client to set their expectations and explain the difference between junior and complicated vs. senior and simple, because it IS counterintuitive. A shitty salesman is in a hurry, and can't be bothered - so everyone gets the bullshit word salad.
WellHung67@reddit
Heavily context dependent.
megacewl@reddit
Yeah lotta people giving overly confident answers like they know all the context. I’m sure there’s a few cases where it’s intentional, to sound smarter, but I doubt that’s most of them.
The person saying the word in these situations probably don’t even think they sound smart. The word sounding smart is highly subjective, and it only comes off as smart because the listener is confronted with the fact that they don’t know something that the speaker knows.
Now why is the speaker using these ‘smart’ terms? Well, the compression of information is a very important skill of human brains. Human brains cannot possibly remember everything that happens in any given event or everything that was said, so what they do is compress the event/knowledge to a higher-level abstraction so as to remember it. So instead of remembering the fine details, one remembers the bigger picture.
Well, you genuinely have to understand something very well to break it back down and explain (teach) to someone about it. People in class may only have their own higher-level intuition of what the thing was, and maybe a few words to describe it, but not enough understanding to re-explain it.
Even if they do understand it, well, some code that “just has an array with a pointer” is probably not even that simple. Rather the deployment of the LSDS for this or that purpose or whatever, well that one sentence is meant to capture a lot of context and a lot of considerations and work and requirements that went on. As well as, if someone has to describe something to a client, well that higher-level abstraction conveys a ton of information, that doesn’t require the client to understand all the lower level concepts.
Tried to simplify it, but at least. For example, a “laptop” is a higher-level abstracted concept to describe this combination of parts bolted together that can run an OS while on your lap“. Like ok yeah when you look inside, it’s “just a bunch of silicon that’s moving electricity around”. It’s more like that than any intentional thing just to sound smart.
InfectedShadow@reddit
Because your clients have no clue nor care what a pointer is. When discussing implementation with a client you speak to them in terms of business outcomes that they are able to understand.
ProtossLiving@reddit
Is it possible that you didn't read the whole thing and didn't fully understand what the code is doing?
434f4445@reddit
You can write the best code known to man, but leadership doesn’t care unless you can speak their language. Just some words of advice from a career fullstack.
Such-You-1541@reddit
Money and, moreso, imposter syndrome. Essentially an effort to make something sound better or make yourself sound smarter/more impressive than you actually are.
Iowa50401@reddit
Businesses have been inflating language for a long time. Just to express one tiny example today - why did companies change from the ordinary word "use" to "use case"?
Dubiisek@reddit
It depends on who you are talking to:
If it's someone you are explaining the concept to and want them to understand it -> use plain non-tech language
If it's someone who understands the concepts and you want to describe the project in clear way -> use technical specialised lingo
If you are trying to sell something -> depends on if it's a client, your boss or general marketplace tbh, generally if you are upselling something, you do want to make the project sound technical and grand while clearly conveying that it solves a problem for them, saying "this proejct is an array with a pointer" not only sounds "lame" in comparison to the former description but a non-techy person doesn't really understand it either.
PoMoAnachro@reddit
Situational.
Sometimes sure it is to seem smart or make things look hard when they aren't.
But sometimes the information is an attempt to convey context quickly "I added an array with a pointer" is absolutely meaningless without the context. Why did you change that code and to what purpose? No one really wants to hear about how the code changed, they want to hear how business value was provided.
SherbertQuirky3789@reddit
Wanting to sound smart is a universal experience
Don’t get hung up on it
PartyParrotGames@reddit
I'd separate talking to clients and the kinds of people who talk to clients into two categories. Sales and actual engineers trying to assist with a problem. Engineers may use abbreviations or other technical terms normally when they speak because they aren't trying to translate for laypeople, that's just how they think about it. Sales are likely to translate but also can embellish to try to make the product sound better. Experienced engineers might do something inbetween where they translate technical terms to simpler concepts laypeople can understand and avoid exaggeration to control expectations.
Gawd_Awful@reddit
Well one tells you what it’s for, the other one doesn’t tell you shit. Is the initial description inaccurate?
HumanActually@reddit
"We anticipate a 4% YOY increase in Q4 earnings because Gary did a hash map."
the-forty-second@reddit
While these things can be an affectation for the reasons you say, sometimes the terminology you are thinking of as “unnecessary terms” are the ones they use everyday and don’t seem unnecessary or purposely obscure to the people using them. The problem could be a lack of communication skills that mean they have forgotten how to talk to people outside of their bubble where the jargon is common.
TakeItCeezy@reddit
I've noticed this too across mediums. People increase their semantic density to -- exactly as you guessed -- sound smart. The sad truth for humanity is that truth isn't binary. Truth is social. And so the best story wins.
On average, most people don't want to take the lead. They'd rather not do all the thinking that requires.
This leaves people vulnerable to people who speak with intellectual dishonesty, because they "sound like someone" they should trust. They talk like the archetypical smart person in hollywood and TV etc.
The truth is people will buy bullshit if the story says it isn't bullshit, it's just an undigested complex organic mixture of ruminant animal waste and metabolic byproducts combined with inorganic bedding material. It isn't bullshit, are you dumb? Are you crazy? I'm saying this is ruminant animal waste, are you just too stupid to tell the difference, you fucking idiot?
Nobody wants to feel dumb.
One is honest but associated with less authority. The second sounds like I'm a scientist and if you disagree, you're dumb.
This is why people fall for bullshit and scams. The whole time they're convinced it's something it isn't because they heard the most technical, dishonest definition of what it was and wanted to believe it.
0dev0100@reddit
As people learn how to do things they will learn the language of that domain at the same time.
Most people learning a spoken language will learn the accent and style of the teachers and incorporate that because it is what they know. Similar things happening here