The word "So". How so? You've heard it, more and more, as more and more interviewees hear it, and then emulate it when they get their chance to be on the radio talking about the subject on which they are experts. I find it very annoying, and it colors my attitude toward the person speaking, no matter what the subject matter, or my level of agreement with what is being said, so much so that I thought I'd examine this trend.
It goes something like this:
Interviewer: "What led up to this new initiative?"
Interviewee: " So, there was a need for blah blah blah..."
In the past, the interviewee would begin with "Well... " or "Good question..." or " It's like this...", all of which are similar to "So...", but why has "So..." gotten so overused lately? It really seems to be a trend in radio interviews. Not to pick on NPR, but I believe this originated there. I don't really notice it much on TV, so it's perplexing where this is coming from. I think I know. I think it comes from Scientists, Doctors, and Academics. NPR has a higher concentration of these types of interviewees than most other mainstream media, and it goes without saying, Fox.
I won't blame the Scientists, Doctors, and Academics for this, because these people are generally highly educated, and are used to giving lectures, dissertations, and such, and using the word "So" is just a technique used to denote continuation of a thought or process to the listeners. These people started the trend inadvertently simply due to their Natures...
No, it is the trend followers that are guilty. After hearing it said a number of times, it starts to become protocol, spurred on by the infiltration of EGO. See, the Scientists, Doctors, and Academics do it because they fall into what I'll call "lecture mode", where they are asked a question, and not being used to that type of interruption, then continue on with their train of thought by using the word "So". It's the trend followers who hear this and adopt the practice. Why? I think it's Ego. The person is awfully impressed with themselves for being invited to talk on the radio about their area of expertise, and use "So" as the first word of their answers--( and particularly annoying when they use it for their very FIRST answer) because of their ego. Starting the answer with "So" negates the presence of the question, even of the interviewer. At this point "so" translates to something like "So, I'm just going to continue on saying what I was going to say anyway, but for the interruption from this radio person".
I may be wrong on this for some, but I'm sure I'm dead on for many, and the trend self-perpetuates. If I was an interviewer on one of these radio shows I would maybe stand up for myself, and for the sake of my listeners and stipulate, pre-interview, that the interviewee NOT begin any answers with "So", maybe even rig up a wrong answer buzzer in case they do. I know that if I worked as a sound editor at an NPR station, I would be tempted to edit out the "So"s. It would be easy enough since they are at the beginning of the answers, and are most often followed by an equally annoying pause...but nah! Let 'em make asses of themselves.
