Is PowerPoint dumbing us all down?

Colby Cosh, reading fairly deeply into a lot of different things as always:

From a report on problems with the space shuttles:

Several members of the Task Group noted, as had CAIB before them, that many of the engineering packages brought before formal control boards were documented only in PowerPoint presentations. In some instances, requirements are defined in presentations, approved with a cover letter, and never transferred to formal documentation. Similarly, in many instances when data was requested by the Task Group, a PowerPoint presentation would be delivered without supporting engineering documentation. It appears that many young engineers do not understand the need for, or know how to prepare, formal engineering documents such as reports, white papers, or analyses.

As Colby says, this is not just a re-statement of Edward Tufte's view that the "'cognitive style' of PowerPoint turns otherwise erudite professionals into tenth-rate, ham-handed digital showmen." The new reports suggest "the existence of a generation that can communicate only in point form." (Why did Slate stop doing a series on this? Dumbing down an interesting story into Power Point slides? It's a bit like the old joke: summarize a famous movie (book, etc.) in a way that is strictly accurate, but deeply misleading. The Sound of Music: an ex-nun disrupts both a planned wedding, and a distinguished military career.)

In politics/government, it seems that decision-makers fasten onto a PowerPoint slide, or a slightly different one-pager with a graph or chart, as if it were an oasis in the desert of text, text, text. Guess what, people? There's some interesting stuff in that text.

Our system depends on amateurs being in the top, elected positions, able to accept advice from more or less permanent experts. Does this work in a highly technical world?

And then: the politicians love the message, and the message track. Often a particularly stupid and crude bullet point--not even a whole PowerPoint slide.

Sun Aug 21, 2005 4:49 pm MST by robertll | Email Article |

Return to Main Page

Is PowerPoint dumbing us all down?