Managing Writers

I had a twitter exchange a while back that got me thinking about DITA, structured writing, and the impact of tools on the perception of technical communicators.  The basic question was whether structured writing in general and DITA specifically are “dumbing down” technical communication, leading to a devaluation of the field.

I end up straddling the fence here. The short answer is “no, I don’t think DITA is dumbing down technical communication.” However, introduction of technologies like DITA, if not handled well, could lead to a devaluation of the field. The danger I see is that if managers misunderstand DITA and modular technology, they may conclude that DITA will allow them to hire less-experienced, less-skilled, and less-expensive writers, which could lead to a de facto dumbing down (or a train wreck, depending on your point of view).
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