Choosing between 'Desu/Masu' and 'Da/Dearu' styles
A talk about 'writing styles'.
There are two types of modern spoken-style writing: 'Desu/Masu style' and 'Da/Dearu style', and naturally, posts you see on note will be in one of these two.
So, as you can see, I started posting in the 'Da/Dearu style'.Without a single doubt, at that.
However, when I actually went back and reread my past posts, I thought, 'Wait... why did I choose the Da/Dearu style in the first place? Is the style actually incredibly important as an initial choice...?'
It was as if I had fallen into that feeling you get when you choose Charmander at the start of Pokémon Red/Green and begin to doubt your own choice while challenging the Pewter Gym.
So, I've decided to analyze why I ended up using the 'Da/Dearu style' in the first place, and whether there are personality differences associated with each style.
The background behind using the 'Da/Dearu style'
Honestly, regarding this, I think it's because the style of the writing I've done up until now has often been 'Da/Dearu,' so I've just gotten used to it... It's a bit blunt, but...
In my case, I majored in psychology in college, so compared to other departments, I had an overwhelming number of report-based assignments. And since those reports were based on papers written by esteemed individuals, I naturally became accustomed to an academic writing style. Since graduation theses also naturally require this type of style, my current 'Da/Dearu style' is likely being pulled by that.
However, saying that doesn't provide any benefit to the reader, so I'll dig a little deeper, but if the logic above holds true, might it be that the writing many blog beginners start with tends to be in the 'Da/Dearu style'?
I felt that there is likely a flow where some people push forward with the Da/Dearu style as is, while others have their style change as they encounter new types of writing through work or other experiences.
I would like to try a mathematical analysis of writing styles using the statistical knowledge I picked up in the psychology department, but I think I will save that for another time.
Differences in posts between 'Desu/Masu' and 'Da/Dearu' styles
I have a vague feeling that there is a certain pattern among writers who post in 'Desu/Masu' style versus 'Da/Dearu' style.
That is, the 'direction the writer is looking' seems to differ depending on the style.
For now, I will briefly write down the differences I feel based on the style.
■ Desu/Masu style
・A gentle atmosphere
・Many articles are 'helpful information' or 'lifestyle offerings'
・There is little assertive language, maintaining a stance of 'recommendation'
■ Da/Dearu style
・A strict atmosphere
・Many articles are 'work theories' or 'expressions of personal thoughts'
・The writer's stance is clear, and they are seeking empathy or approval for it
To summarize the differences above,content written in Desu/Masu style often looks toward the 'outside world' to share things the writer has found with others, while content written in Da/Dearu style seems to look toward the 'inner world' to release what is inside and seek empathy or approval.
Of course, I don't think it is limited to this, but I believe the content differences and style differences mentioned above are well-suited to each other.
Content written in the gentle Desu/Masu style can likely minimize the impression of being pushy for many people, so it pairs well with 'recommendation' style articles. On the other hand, while writing in the Da/Dearu style can feel assertive and pushy due to its atmosphere, the content is not a forcing of ideas onto the other party but rather a 'demonstration,' so I think there are cases where it can gain empathy without giving an unpleasant impression. If you were to reverse them, it might feel like a hard sell of ideologies or the personal theories of someone without a clear stance.
It might be interesting to try changing my style based on the content I write in the future.