Social Media Autoethnography

In the article “2b or not 2b”, David Crystal begins with discussing how others such as John Humphry argued that texters are “vandals who are doing to our language what Genghis Khan did to his neighbors 800 years ago. They are destroying it” (335). This is also the common belief of most people. People often argue about the bad points of technology over our language. However, Crystal believes that texting can improve children’s ability to read and write rather than hinder their literacy as many people claim. He also argues that not all texting are done in abbreviated words. Complex messages and institutional messages are often texted in standard form of

At the beginning of the article, Simmons discusses how teens are using informal social media language in formal writing essays. As the article progresses, the author using informal social media language in formal writing essays. As the article progresses, the author observes that Facebook has improved student emotional expression within their writing assignments. By the end of the article, the author sees how Facebook makes students writing more personal, sharing intimate issues in their writing like addiction, poverty, family problems, and their identities. The article Simmons wrote was very serious in its tone, and was about informing the reader to the benefits of Facebook to the younger male generation. This article is important to culture, because Facebook dominates the daily lives of the current young generation. When we return from our vacation, our first thing we want to do is post all of our photos on Facebook. The author is trying to appeal to an older generation that does not see the benefits of Facebook to young students’ personal well-being, such as fellow teachers and

Over the year’s technology has evolved drastically. Technology that involves social media play a huge role in the way people interacts with one another especially when it comes to grammar. Most people communicate using their computers, mobile device or tablets. As technology is changing so has the language. Social media is one of the main forms of communicating with people. Sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Youtube are major social media outlets that are used daily to communicate with individuals near or far. It has formed language using mainly acronyms and emojis (pictures). Emojis has become popular in the past few

Language and communication between different cultures is complex; the future holds many technological promises that will make these complexities easier to bear. This dialect decline can be credited to the industrialization of communication which exploits the human interest of entertainment, which in turn, expands and simplifies human communication. Billions of people of all walks of life have assimilated to the language of modern technology and billions more are left in the dusk. “Media exposure can spread new vocabulary and give people in different regions an understanding of the “standard American.” (PBS) The internet has allowed people to communicate farther than ever before, share knowledge at light speed pace. We feel that we do not have time to type “hey that was very funny” instead we type “LOL” we have simplified terms in speech and have become accustomed to the internet world: speed equals success. Society’s entrepreneurs and astute minds are constantly

The use of “newspeak” is very common in today's society, “propagandistic language marked by euphemism, circumlocution, and the inversion of customary meanings.” (Merriam-Webster). In other words it's the dumbing down of in essence of words already limited in meaning and scope. How is it relevant in today's society you ask? Teens start texting at a very young age, and the use of social media is very crucial in our time. Snapchat is a very powerful social media giant, we are speaking through pictures, which in essence represents hieroglyphics. Words are continually shortened and are bereft of their deeper meanings. the downfall of all of this is the dumbing down words through texting. The use of newspeak in 1984 was used to limit the freedom of thought, and expressions. Thoughtcrime was when you did the opposite of so called Newspeak you undermine the authority of Big Brother and or Ingsoc. “Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of

Wide varieties of technologies, from social media to the printing press, have changed the way people speak and write english.

Several decades ago, “Ain’t ain’t a word” was a favorite litany of English teachers everywhere, and they sang it whenever that offending word cropped up in a student’s speech or writing. Today, however, ain’t is a word firmly entrenched in dictionaries, nonstandard, but a word nonetheless. Now, looming on the horizon is something which may make language arts teachers long for the days of ain’t – text talk. Text talk, or text speak, is the language of abbreviations, acronyms, and emoticons people use when communicating through short message service (SMS) on their cell phones, or when instant messaging and emailing each other, and it is beginning to creep into students’ formal writing. Teachers, not just language arts teachers, hate seeing

The subject of how technology is changing written English is a touchy subject; many people believe that our current technology is allowing us to become lazy. Text messaging being the ultimate reason we are taking so many short cuts when it comes to writing proper English. There are so many abbreviated words and meanings in text messaging, I sometimes find myself confused when I receive messages from people that I have to google what they are trying to say. I don’t want to respond and assume I know what they are trying say.

It is amazing how everyone’s life is changing by through us of technology. “Technology by definition means, the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science”(Technology). Today people use different kinds of technology like: cellphones, iPods, laptops, mp3s, and all of the devices create a convenient and comfort for every individual. As technology is updating every day, and every second it is affecting people’s lives and changing the pace of everything that relates to humans’ routines. One of the most important things that technology changes is the way everyone communicates. Technologies create more powerful and effective ways of communication. People are getting used to a new way to be alone together. Conversation in number and quality decrease as technology replaces in human interaction. In this article author gives insight into how technology distracts people without considering what price they are paying and persuades how technology has a huge effect on people’s conversation.

Throughout the last decade, social media has drastically changed the way people interact with others. Websites like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have taken the world by storm. It has never been easier to have a conversation with family members, friends, or even strangers who live millions of miles away. Due to the rise of social media, people have become more aware of social issues and have become aware of the world around them. They can easily read the news online or catch up on the latest celebrity drama. Social media improves the way humans communicate because it allows ideas to be spread quickly and efficiently to a global audience.

It is not hard to observe that new technologies are fundamentally altering the ways in which we communicate in

Texting is a fairly new form of communication that has taken the world by storm. It became popular around 2001, and originally had its limitations, such as the 160-character limit. But now that technology has advanced, texting has followed along and is now a convenient, casual, and a more immediate way of communicating. So naturally, texting has evolved also in terms of the language used within it. We see this mostly in the form of abbreviations and short hand spelled words. Some people argue that texting has ruined the English language. Studies and observations have shown that the benefits of texting and cyber speak are much more broad then expected. Textisms have been shown to increase phonology skills, brain activity, creativity and provide a relatable outlet for students in education.

This article was published in the PLOS ONE journal volume 9 on September 25, 2013. It was received for publication on January 23, 2013 and accepted for publication on July 29, 2013. The study was conducted by a group of scientists in the University of Warwick which is located in the United Kingdom. These scientists were H. Andrew Schwartz mail, Johannes C. Eichstaedt, Margaret L. Kern, Lukasz Dziurzynski, Stephanie M. Ramones, Megha Agrawal, Achal Shah, Michal Kosinski, David Stillwell, Martin E. P. Seligman and Lyle H. Ungar. This study examined the language used in facebook as an indicator of individual differences. The focus of the study was on age, gender, personality and how they affect the use of language.

Year after year, things change, people change, and technology gradually develops. Tweeting, texting, and other forms of abbreviated communication has come across us, making it more facile for us to communicate in the cyber world. Many of us question whether it affects our day to day lives, possibly transmuting the way we verbalize or our English language. The essay “Texting” by David Crystal describes the phenomenon of texting and how it has come to be (241). Similarly, Kris Axtman verbalizes about how the forms of abbreviated communication and slang affects us in his essay, “‘r u online?’: The Evolving Lexicon of Wired Teens” (247). As a teenager, I absorb the contemporary trends taking place in today’s society, this includes abbreviated communication. There is a clear distinction between how I text and how I communicate in person, with live speech. I utilize abbreviated communication when I text my friends and in the cyber world with others. It is a way for me to communicate expeditiously as I don’t have to type out the whole word, and my friends are still able to understand what I’m saying. However, utilizing abbreviated communication does not make an impact on how we speak with others when using live speech; because there are many factors that go into what is appropriate in society today.

With mobile phones where the small screen technology is so constraining, texting and tweeting plays a significant role in how we conduct our daily communication. David Crystal wrote an article titled “Texting”, and believes the younger generation is introducing a new phase of texting where words are usually represented with acronyms (241). Crystal called this abbreviated text exchange a “textspeak” (243). Kris Axtman is also a prominent author who wrote an article, “R U Online? The Evolving Lexicon of Wired Teens” (247). His article focuses on teenagers and their dependency on the online technology. Axtman observes that teenagers develop a whole range of abbreviations while exchanging