Has Scientific American been "dumbed down?"?

Question

I recently picked up a copy of Scientific American and found it to be very light fare. It used to be a challange for me to get through an article. I don't think I am getting any smarter.

Answer 1

It's geared toward general public, so its not dumbed down, but explained in ways people without post graduate degrees can comprehend with reasonable effort. Profesional journals like Nature, ACS journals, JAMA, and all those will have technical articles and original publications that are discussed in TV news and Scientific American.

Answer 2

sadly i think most media publications in this country are becoming "dumbed down", partly due to our instant gratification society. it is easier to quickly read/skim through something that doesn't take a lot of time and thought to ponder and mull over the issues discussed. i think even time, newsweek, and the like have become dumbed down over the years. also, this country is so freakin obsessed with entertainment, gossip, celebrities, etc that most people don't look for anything deeper than light fare.

great question, made me think!

p.s. by media publications i meant anything published by any type of media outlet with intent to distribute information, scientific journals, medical journals, etc such as what you posed in your question, not just typical fluff like time (like i suggested). thanks...