As a Wordsmith, I’ve always had a bit of an issue with text-messaging. In fact, I consider texting a crime against language, and a major contributor to the rapid decline in young people’s ability to communicate effectively.
As a parent, though, I’ll admit I have found some value in texting. I can send my kids messages I know will be seen nanoseconds after sending them. I can also communicate with my kids in environments that are too loud or quiet for a phone call. I even score “cool Dad points” when I’m swapping texts with the teens at a bball game or a dance (funny story for another time).
Sadly, my cool-points evaporate when the cool-kids see my texts include punctuation, capital letters, and complete words. Call me old-school. But I think increasing communication speed by cutting-off bits of words to make them easier to type is like a increasing a runner’s speed by cutting off his head to make him more aerodynamic. Sure it’s a valid choice, but I wouldn’t say it’s the best idea ever.
I get it. I’m Fred Flintstone trying to communicate with the Jetsons (look it up kids, it’s a great analogy). My texts make the teens “lol,” and their texts make me think, “wtf” (should that be censored…sorry, cnsrd?). But grown-ups, please, don’t give in! Use your words, and punctuation, and capital letters. And who knows? If actual words make a comeback, maybe using a phone to actually talk to each other will too!
Haha, jk. (Darn it, how do I make that smiley again?)