Like most wide-scale social phenomena, jargon is shaped by multiple incentives, with a pretty wide variance in the narrowness of consumer (insider, outsider, elite, median) and type of value provided (clarity, obfuscation, reinforcement of values, chunking of concepts).
Undertstanding a field VERY OFTEN requires understanding the people and social structures that shape the field. Jargon is useful in this dimension, as well as the surface-level content of the jargon.
Like most wide-scale social phenomena, jargon is shaped by multiple incentives, with a pretty wide variance in the narrowness of consumer (insider, outsider, elite, median) and type of value provided (clarity, obfuscation, reinforcement of values, chunking of concepts).
Undertstanding a field VERY OFTEN requires understanding the people and social structures that shape the field. Jargon is useful in this dimension, as well as the surface-level content of the jargon.