Compensatory Conspicuous Communication: Low Status Increases Jargon Use

Zachariah Brown, Eric Anicich and Adam Galinsky

Abstract: Jargon is commonly used to efficiently communicate and signal group membership. We propose that jargon use also serves a status compensation function. We first define jargon and distinguish it from slang and technical language. Nine studies, including experiments and archival data analyses, test whether low status increases jargon use. Analyses of 64,000 dissertations found that titles produced by authors from lower-status schools included more jargon than titles from higher-status school authors. Experimental manipulations established that low status causally increases jargon use, even in live conversations. Statistical mediation and experimental-causal-chain analyses demonstrated that the low statusjargon effect is driven by increased concern with audience evaluations over conversational clarity. Additional archival and experimental evidence found that acronyms and legalese serve a similar status- compensation function as other forms of jargon (e.g., complex language). These findings establish a new driver of jargon use and demonstrate that communication, like consumption, can be both compensatory and conspicuous.

Highlights

• Experiencing low status increases the use of jargon

• Low status increases jargon use because it activates evaluative concerns

• Archival analyses found a low status jargon effect across 64k dissertation tit

• Experiments provided a causal link and mediation path from low status to jargon use

• The use of acronyms also serves a status compensation function

Does Your Office Have a Jargon Problem?

Using Jargon in non appropriate contexts