Every time I visit my grandmother we sit around the living room catching up on life,and I inevitably end up sorting through the stacks of magazines and newspapers that she keeps on the coffee table on any given day. Most of the magazines she reads are what I would place in the ”old people” classification of reading. Yet, there is always one “old people” magazine that ends up grabbing my attention, Reader’s Digest.
I suppose that this is a weird magazine choice for a 22-year-old college girl and maybe I am just abnormal, but I believe there is another explanation. The writing style used by the journalists at Reader’s Digest is simple, easy to read, and short. The stories in Reader’s Digest draw me and millions of other reader’s because they take no time at all to read and understand.
In a world filled with smart phones, video games, iPods and the internet attention spans are growing shorter with each passing minute.In fact, a study done by researchers at Iowa State University have proved that technology is causing a drastic drop in the attention span of children. Technology can cause a decrease in attention span.
People have the desire to read something if they find it entertaining, interesting, or if they can relate to it in some way.
Some people may believe that there is some sort of conspiracy involving the Government and the media attempting to keep information from the American public. However, I believe that the people in charge of editing the information from the various media outlets are just trying to keep people interested by removing the unnecessary.
Reader’s Digest for example chooses topics that are relatable, and condenses the text down to a minimum so people are learning new fun facts while doing very little work. People want convenience,they want the gist without all the trivial details. Sorting through all the “extras” that editors take out would take both time and effort from readers.
I stumbled upon this article about tips from a Reader’s Digest editor and while it doesn’t state much about the style of writing done in the magazine,it is helpful information for anyone looking for help with writing a decent story.Tips for Better Writing
