Literacy and online communication

After reading both articles I do think the people researching the topic do bring up good points. I am able to see poor grammar daily on all social media sites and through my conversations with others. Although I can see this form of writing everyday I don’t think it shows peoples literacy skills to the best of their abilities. Like they explain in the article people who are expressing themselves places other than a controlled classroom setting do use different forms of writing. Online due to me feeling free about what I am writing and who can read it, I am able to use more relaxed grammar and don’t have to worry about being as harshly critiqued on my literacy skills. I do think when they talk about the revolution taking place in present day they are stating a very valid point. Compared to just ten years ago the Internet and all technology have changed drastically and the way we are now using it has to. Due to more people using cell phones and computers, from young children to people in there 90’s the range of people effected by the content on these devices is growing.

In my own experiences online I have encountered individuals who show exception writing skills where format and grammar aren’t very much appreciated. I do find that even while texting I more than other use proper grammar and punctuation. Many people I talk to do not use grammar properly and I do find that sometimes what they are trying to get across sometimes becomes lost, due to improper grammar. I think using proper grammar is important because it shows professionalism and makes communicating much easier but I also think that people who do not use proper grammar are doing anything wrong. I think it is a choice to use such grammar especially by those who are educated enough to have the ability to use proper sentence structure and punctuation, and that choice should be left to the individual to make. 

Autocorrect

ez writing

http://cdn.thenextweb.com/files/2010/12/textspeak.jpg
Technology has gone a long ways in terms of advancement, from the days of typewriters to computers with high speed internet.  Somewhere along the way we learned how to abbreviate almost every word that is commonly used.  I personally am thankful for this because this makes my writing and communicating with friends faster and more efficient.  However I do understand the other side to this debate of how literacy has taken a step back.

I am a great example of the other side of the debate.  I often catch my self writing abbreviated words when writing essays for school or even writing professional emails.  It doesn't happen all the time but it happens frequently enough that I get worried when writing essays.  My technical writing has definitely taken a step back, but at the same time i feel like I have a better understanding of how to engage the readers interests with a writing style.

Going back to my main point, i love that we have an understanding on what abbreviated words mean now.  English is my 2nd language and with all the shortcuts we have in today's society, the shortcuts definitely make it easier when I'm communicating with friends.

Literacy and Online Communication

            When it comes to online communication many individuals use textspeak as a way to communicate. Textspeak is especially common on sites like Twitter where you have limited space (14o character limit) to express your thoughts, but is found on almost all social media platforms. The problem with text speak does not concern individuals inability to spell, if anything it just shows how lazy we are as a society. I occasionally use textpeak during text messaging conversation where I type things like "OMG", "FML", "Luv", or "U", but I refrain from doing so in professional situations.

I personally find extreme textspeak to be annoying. "LOL" is probably my biggest pet peeve with texting or social media, but any form of textspeak in excess just makes me not want to read what that person is trying to say. 

I believe people grow out of textspeak as they encounter more professional situations. I can remember getting the "C U L8R", "G2G", "NMU?" texts or online chat messages all the time in middle school and junior high, but as myself and my peers matured, the abbreviations were limited. 

The only issue I see with textspeak is that when used in excess, it clouds the meaning of what you are trying to say and comes off as unprofessional. I believe this is common knowledge though, so people are aware of when it is appropriate and can then type or write coherently. 

                                                              O Technology!

I love technology, whether its text messaging, checking my emails, visiting with friends on Facebook or just viewing videos on YouTube. Technology is the way of the future and it’s not going anywhere any time soon.

            However, there appears to be some arguments that technology happy students may be slipping a bit in their witting at school with cyber slang. Cyber slang is a term used to describe shortcuts, alternative words, or even symbols used to convey thoughts in an electronic document  such as “OMG” (oh my God) or “JK” (just kidding) and “BRB” (be right back). According to teachers and parents now days, and my mother being both a parent and an English teacher are convinced that cursive writing is a skill that were always going to need, and technology is quickly diminishing its importance.

This screen caps are from my twitter page, on a few people I have been following just to show how frequently used cyber slang is and how cursive skills have diminished. 

        While I can appreciate the need for correct grammar and for delivering an intelligent point of view about any given topic, I think our expectations have to change. There is a time for teaching "writing skills" but also a growing need to recognize the value of expression and communicating capably with the general public. Text abbreviations probably shouldn't show up in essays and papers, but all in all, the omission of unnecessary words and even creative spelling, could very well be the direction in which our language is going.

 Johnson , C. (2013, January 30). [Web log message]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/

 

 

The Reel Issue

There's no doubt that technology has made our society dependant on it's many attributes. The Internet is now labelled as a reliable source, and texting (or smartphones) have abolished the unheard of "face-to-face conversations. Except for in-person, speech-based communication, it could be argued that all communication is technologically based. With the advent of written language, humanity experimented with varying forms of technology to record their thoughts. From the stone tablet to parchment to the printing press to computers, our methods of written communication have continued to change, although several remain in use simultaneously. Communicating through an old technology - such as, sending a letter through snail mail - now produces a sense of nostalgia.

However, there is much debate whether or not texting, or online communicating, has deteriorated because of the development of the technology world.  

A concern about the ever-increasing amount of communication is that it represents the triumph of quantity over quality. Texting and Twittering, by their very natures, value short, punchy statements over lengthy, thoughtful analysis. Such forms of communication contribute to an overall dumbing-down of conversations and the ascendance of impersonal updates over personal interactions.

Has contemporary digital technology really changed language that much? If you look at writing patterns over the past fifty years or so, you’ll find that our notions regarding the importance of “writing mechanics” have shifted dramatically. Grammar? Don’t be so prescriptive. Punctuation? Follow more the way we speak rather than traditional rules for writing. Spelling? Isn’t that what spell check is for? It turns out that many of the “errors” we complain about finding in IMs or text messages have their roots in the writing of young people before online and mobile communication became available. As for abbreviations and acronyms, a quick check of history shows that such shortenings date back centuries, even millennia. With emoticons, while there are hundreds of options out there, empirical research indicates that unless you are a teenager or young adult wanting to show how “in” or “cool” you can be, the vast majority of people stick to at most a small handful.

Most of the time if someone makes a grammatical error, or a poor spelling choice, they will be the victim of Internet harassment. Students nowadays take spelling seriously, especially on social media sites. Often, the reacting to a stupid status, or a ridiculous tweet leads to the internet community slamming their faces on the table in utter despair over human existence. Given, they are being dramatic but sometimes, exaggerations are necessary. 
I truly do not believe that technology has affected the way we communicate, or spell, or even speak to one another. What I do believe that it has done is developed our society even further and in the terms of development, it can only mean up.

Tweet or twit ?

     I will agree with Andrea Lunsford that technology isn't exactly harming our ability to write. I personally believe it may affect the coherency of our writing. The article states that our generation has written far more than any other and it is because of technology. It allows us to communicate with whoever we choose and expands communication to a whole new level. People have more variety to communicate whatever they choose, when they choose, and however they choose. Even though people have the freedom to communicate with whomever they please, people care about the way they write. It may not be the smartest or grammatically correct way, but it gets their representation out and they write for their own audiences anyway. The Internet has allowed easy access to communication, so why not take advantage of it!

     On the other hand, I believe it does take a toll on how we write. I find most individuals are lazy and always want to find a quicker way to get their point across. So this is where the shortcuts for texts/writing come in. People have found ways to get around writing paragraphs or anything formal I find. It does affect knowledge on grammar because it becomes a habit. It becomes a daily routine, if an individual writes like that majority of the time. I know because when I use my twitter and text, I write completely different than the way I am right now.

         As you can see, when I tweet I look like a fool not caring about my grammar, structure and definitely spelling. However, on a social network, no one cares because the point that was trying to be made, was successful. I've come down to believing that students and individuals can write certain things, but it won't be the best or formal thing that they can do. Universities schools would never allow this kind of writing in essays or papers so I don't think that's something to worry about. In any case, today's technology does affect writing. People will always find a good way to be lazy, even if it is simple writing.

Worst Misspelled Words on Twitter

 

 

Knowing who you’re writing for and why you’re writing are crucial factors in writing that is something that almost everyone knows. Perhaps for some people these elements have been enhanced through blogging, or socializing online; although in regards to our writing skills the role that technology played is mostly negative.

Now a day the majority communicate through technology and as stated in the article a lot of socializing takes place online and involves text. However, this does not mean that people are improving their writing skills; on the other hand it has done the opposite. People usually do not worry about proper paragraph structure, grammar or spelling and a lot of abbreviations are used when communicating online or texting, an example of this can be seen with the following image from this site 10 Best (Worst) Misspelled Words on Twitter

 

 

Unfortunately technology crippled us and made us dependent; today a lot of people use spelling checkers when writing an email or a paper in order to avoid making spelling mistakes, usually it helps lower the rate of errors at the moment but we frequently fail to see the latent impact of the constant use of these tools on our writing skills. For instance, today many people struggle when they are asked to write a message or answer a question with a pen and paper, since they make a lot of mistakes; this is due to the fact that they are not used to writing without their technological devices.

Even though it might be true what Lunsford suggests when saying that “young people today write far more than any generation before”, unfortunately  the quality of writing is not the best because abbreviations are used constantly, spelling mistakes are made and  proper paragraph structure are rarely seen when communicating online, thus our writing skills have been impacted negatively.

U R GONNA B L8

       I definitely believe that technology has an effect on how kids and students write and sadly the skill on writing is fading into the darkness. Sadly with texting and social media websites everywhere, we communicate with less than perfect grammar and spelling. Lunsford says that technology is reviving our writing which I think is false. Instead of it enhancing it, it is stripping it of what it really is supposed to be- a way to communicate using good techniques and writing skills. Maybe it is because I am getting a degree in Public Relations where communication and proper writing skills is a must, but frankly saying the words “I love you” means a lot more than saying getting a text from a significant other saying “I luv u”. Capitals and proper spelling have gone out the window. Regardless of whether we have had some paradigm shift or not, at least when things were written, they were done correctly, no matter how frequent it is.

       I can relate to the part of the article where it states that students today always write for an audience. In my program, we are taught how to write for particular audiences and how to up the ante with communication in order to persuade our audience. Sure, technology is pushing communication (particularly writing) in cool and different directions, but how can one be taken seriously when they do not even spell the word “you” correctly. It is detrimental to the ethos aspect of writing, especially in the corporate world.

      I make it a point not to use abbreviations and such in my texts, tweets and status updates on Facebook. I used to when I was younger but I feel like I have matured out of that. Adults don’t speak like that in the real world so what is the point of doing it in the texting world? Sure it takes a half a millisecond more to write the word “you” instead of “u”, but if you want to be taken seriously, I would suggest you do so or wave goodbye to your ethos!