Texting and Internet Lingo's Impact on English Writing and Communication

Y would u want 2 read a txt like ths? Isn’t that sentence choppy and obnoxious to read? This is why many people choose not to partake in such writing we call texting lingo. Texting lingo is a combination of acronyms abbreviations and emoticons put together to create a text or instant message. Its popularity sprouted with the technology craze we all remember, and those awful flip phones that took forever to text on. The lingo made texting a faster and easier way to communicate, but it also created confusion with users.

The more modern version of a cell phone such as an IPhone or Android makes texting much easier and the lingo is no longer necessary. Although its popularity seems to be diminishing texting and Internet lingo has made both positive and negative impacts on the English language, writing skills, and communication.

The English language, no matter how hard it is to learn and master, is an art form that has been passed along for countless generations; it has evolved over the years and many authors believe that texting and internet lingo might create dramatic changes to the language itself.

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This topic was called to attention in Ammon Shea’s article “The Keypad Solution” when he informs the reader that no other spelling system has had as much of an impact on the English language as texting lingo. He thinks this is most likely due to its major popularity.

This article was written in 2003 and seems to be slightly outdated because texting lingo has declined in popularity because of technological advances.

Frequent texters typically lack in their variety of formal vocabulary because texting conversations are usually informal and improper; this poses a problem in the professional world where formal proper writing is required in the majority of positions. As Amy Harmon describes in “Internet Changes Language for [] & [” texting “lacks polish and formal organization” therefore it must only be used in personal conversations and not in formal workplaces.

Texting and Internet lingo usage go hand in hand with writing skills. This type of communication has had an impact on spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Most people quickly become addicted to the forces of technology and begin typing more and more, which causes an increase in familiarity in many words and benefits spelling in users. Grammar and punctuation are not so common in texting and Internet conversations causing them to be abused and misused once the user is writing in a formal setting. The increased amount of time spent on a keyboard because of technology obsession helps people become faster, more efficient typers.

Classes used to improve writing skills are becoming less and less common. Harmon also points out that an increased amount of time texting on phones and chatting on computers may help decrease writers block because users are more accustomed to putting their actions into words. Multiple distractions are included with the use of cellphones and computers, Kris Axtman, the author of “”R U Online?” The evolving Lexicon of wired teens” describes her concerns of multitasking affecting attention spans and ultimately lowering student’s grades.

Communication has been dramatically affected by texting and Internet lingo; it has never been easier or faster to communicate with the person of your choice. In the article “R U Online” The Evolving Lexicon of Wired Teens” Axtman quotes Mary Anne Thomas, a mother of a shy son, who describes her son as being more confident talking to girls online. This has the potential for two very different outcomes. Either giving her son courage to go out during school and talk to the girls he has been talking to through the Internet, or confining his confidence to the computer screen and making him even less social in a public setting. Some negatives to texting and Internet lingo include an increased amount of confusion to the recipients of messages.

David Crystal addresses this issue in his paper “Texting” he says this problem occurs due to the variety in lingo used. There is no uniformity or any rules to this lingo. Acronyms such as LOL can mean “laughing out loud” or “lots of love” which cause “ambiguity and confusion” (Crystal). Acronyms and abbreviations create choppiness in the reading, and become obnoxious and irritating to many recipients. The obsession with these devices has created a loss in personal communication; a phone call is becoming a thing of the past, written letters are becoming extinct, and actual face-to-face contact is becoming more and more rare.