After Monday’s discussion on language I began to think about
the various ways in which society communicates. Technological advances have
enabled us to reach one another instantly regardless of the time or the place.
Throughout my day I am constantly talking to people through text message,
e-mail, instant message, video chat, Facebook chat, etc. It was this lecture
that really got me thinking about how fortunate we are to be able to
communicate so easily and how we take this for granted. My parents often tell
stories about how when they were dating in college the only way they could
communicate was through writing letters. My dad jokes that some times he would
save up and use the pay phone once a week to call my mom. It is amazing to
think that if they were going to school now they would be able to speak to each
other every minute of every day if they wanted to. Clearly there are many
benefits to this technologically savvy generation, however I believe that there
are some disadvantages to this instantaneous ability to communicate as well.
I feel that we want to communicate with each other as
quickly as possible. For this reason we have created all of this “text lingo”
such as brb, lol, smh, ttyl, ctn, etc. I understand that we want to get the
message out as quickly as possible but I feel that when we start saying L-O-L
while speaking in person to our friends or elders it does not project a
positive intellectual image. I also have noticed that because we constantly use
abbreviations it is affecting our ability to spell correctly and speak
properly. My parents who wrote letters are extremely proficient spellers and I
often joke about my mom being the grammar queen who frequently interrupts my
brothers and I with comments like “it’s Shannon and I”. The incessant use of abbreviations such
as “ur” instead of your or you’re become habitual and blind us to the words
proper usage. Although I believe it is amazing that I am able to video chat
with my 92 year old grandpa in New Jersey while I am in Michigan, I do feel
that this generation is not as grammar or spelling savvy as in the past.
Thankfully, we have to write and read at school otherwise I would be concerned
for the future of our society. Take a second and imagine…what would you do if
you couldn’t text message or e-mail?!
-Shannon Funsch
-Shannon Funsch
