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wankerbot t1_jdb0386 wrote

Reply to comment by Cranky0ldMan in The average TikTok user in the US is an adult 'well past college age,' CEO says by djJAMZ

*mean

not median, mode, or geometric mean

edit: apparently all the reddit aspies don't like precison in language anymore

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DevAway22314 t1_jddb0j5 wrote

Mean and average are synonymous. He was precise and correct in his terminology. It is only you that does not understand the meaning of a mathematical average

Edit: And to drive it home a bit more, the advantage of using the term mean is that it is more specific. Mean is less likely to be misunderstood for another meaning than average, but both convey the precise meaning he intended

I wouldn't normally add that level of pedantry, but wanted to point out you misused precise when you meant specific. Solely because you're attempting to be overly pedantic

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wankerbot t1_jde5sm4 wrote

>Mean is less likely to be misunderstood for another meaning than average,

this is just insane to me. fucking nuts of an assertion, i have no idea where you're getting this idea.

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wankerbot t1_jde4ytf wrote

>Mean and average are synonymous. He was precise and correct in his terminology.

No, he wasn't precise and it isn't synonymous.

First words from the wiki:

>In ordinary language, an average is ...

Ordinary language, as used by the wiki, means "colloquially", which is not precise mathematical/statistical/scientific language.

Later in the wiki entry, we have this:

>Depending on the context, an average might be another statistic such as the median, or mode.

...which blows your assertion of the precision out of the water.

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