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Nothing but the sound of fingers on a keyboard clicking away, the constant vibrations from text after text, and the endless tolls of emails and Facebook messages; is this really what communication has come to?
Take a minute and think about how you communicate with others.
I can probably guess what most of you are thinking: Texting, Facebook, Twitter, AIM and the list goes on.
What ever happened to letters or legitimate phone calls between people?
Nowadays most of the letters we get in the mail come in the forms of phone or credit card bills. Most calls, if not to discuss the latest ‘Modern Family’ episode or gossip about what’s-her-face from English class, are telemarketers trying to encourage us to donate money.
(Courtesy of Penn State Live on flickr.com)
What has happened to true and effective communication?
Relationships such as pen pals have become almost obsolete. The joy of opening up your mailbox and discovering a hand written letter from a friend has now diminished to a ding from a Facebook message or a buzz from your phone. Communication just isn’t as sentimental anymore.
Communication is the means by which we are brought closer together with those around us. However, with people relentlessly checking their phones and Facebook pages, we lose the genuine connection we get during face-to-face time.
Mom—put your phone down, we’re at the dinner table. You can like Dad’s status after you finish your meal.
In this day and age, communication is all about promptness and convenience. We try to get our point across in the quickest and laziest manner possible.
When we want to catch up with someone, not only do we choose texting or Facebook, rather than a long and thoughtful email or letter, but our communication consists of endless acronyms and abbreviations as well.
WTF, guys? Are we really that busy that we can’t spell out full words or actually hold real conversations with people? Is it really that big of an imposition to our hectic lives?
You know it’s sad when our parents join in all the abbreviating fun as well. Dad—“LOL” does not mean “Lots of Love.” Get it right.
The scary thing is, this plague of downright laziness is beginning to infect our verbal communication as well.
The main culprit is the phenomenon known as “text-speak.” Ever heard of it? Urban dictionary defines “text-speak” as “the process of shortening words, leaving out vowels, and adding numbers to make one’s speech or text message ‘cooler.’”
“Hey bro! Yea I totes just flunked the test too. Whatevz I just won’t tell my rentz.”
Hey, at least we sound super intelligent.
The proper grammar and rhetoric and the centuries our forefathers spent creating them will soon be obliterated; smashed just like the screen of the iPhone you just used to text-speak on.
With continued prevalence of text-speak, we endanger the condition of our language and literacy.
Here are some tips to consider before we destroy true communication as fast as you can block a stalker on Facebook:
Your life does not revolve around Facebook. Your notifications will still be there after you spend some phoneless, quality time with your friends and family.
Switch it up once in a while. Write an actual letter to a friend rather than mentioning them in your latest tweet. #Seriously #Youhaveaproblem.
Spelling out full words and using proper English won’t kill you. So stop b4 itz 2 late.
K g2g.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Kristy Gustafson at Kristy.gustafson@colorado.edu.
