For my choice of topic blog post I am writing about a debate surrounding social media and other technologically advanced types of communication. Texting, online social media sites and
twitter have all been accused of ruining the grammar and spelling of users. Teachers are known to complain about students
spelling things incorrectly, adding numbers to their words, and
lacking punctuation in their school work. Many people believe these are bad habits brought on by instant messaging and texting. However I argue that this
is a pessimistic, narrow view. Texting and online social media sites have introduced and caused users to learn useful skills applicable to
their everyday lives. Below is a cartoon showing how some teachers and adults may perceive student's understanding of the written language.
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| Figure 1.1 Teach by text. From Stumblethro Cartoons by Parker, J. 2011. Copyright 2001 by Cagle Cartoons. |
Useful skills that can be gained from texting and using social media sites. One way these means of communication have helped me is in my note-taking. Before university I’d never had to take notes while a teacher was talking, they were always put on the board for me to copy down. However I had little difficulty adjusting to taking notes orally because I was already well versed in shorthand. This was because I'd used shorthand while texting and chatting online. There are times when proper grammar and spelling are very important but there are also times when they are not vital. When taking notes the goal is to get down what a professor is saying quickly. Lack of spelling and grammar and shorthand enables one to get down information quickly, in a format understandable to you.
In her blog KellMc argues social networks and instant messaging are not contributing to the destruction of the English language. KellMc points out that social media and instant messaging promote regular contact with words and written communication. She believes the use of shorthand may actually increase literacy and creativity. Like me KellMc sees the value of social media and other new forms of communication. There are times when it is more convenient to use shorthand than proper spelling and grammar. This does not mean that social media is ruining the English language, it's expanding it.
My fellow classmate Lina Hegberg wrote a blog about how as we become more technologically advanced, and do the majority of our communication online, we are working towards becoming a more sustainable world. Lina also mentions how through Twitter and Facebook people can constantly be discussing sustainability. This is just another example of the good that can come out of social media. People who look at communication devices like Twitter and Facebook, and see only the negative, like misspelled words, are missing the bigger picture. Forms of communication such as Facebook, Twitter and texting introduce useful tools to users that they can use in many other parts of their lives.
References
destruction of the English language. Message posted to
http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2010/04/
Hegberg, L. (2012, February 22). The accessibility of sustainability; how two universities have
incorporated social media into student and community life. Message posted to
http://lmariehales.blogspot.com/
Hey Cassandra,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the topic of this blog post! Especially the part about expanding the English language. It was a point that I had never considered before. When technology shifts, so do we- and all of our practices go with that. Literature over time proves that. I found a blog earlier this semester, and this reminded me of it. Hope you like it!
http://scientopia.org/blogs/childsplay/2011/03/09/why-lolcats-ruined-my-english/
Cheers
-Rebecca
This was an excellent choice for a topic! I use shorthand all the time when taking notes and after you mentioned it, I realized texting really has helped me out. Social media has helped with communication among people throughout the world and not just on a personal level, but also a business level. I know a lot of small business it has helped out and I agree that it has many positive aspects to it!
ReplyDeleteNicole
Great blog post Cassandra! This was a great topic to mention, because it is such a prevalent issue in today's society. I often hear adults complaining about the younger generations using improper language and slangs. It is unfortunate, but I also see a shift in the ability of younger children to spell and form proper sentence structure, even in my younger siblings!
ReplyDeleteI think that right now we are in the middle of a major shift, and have to be careful about what we make of it! This use of shorthand definitely has important advantages, such as improving literacy and creativity as you mentioned, but dangerous consequences may show up if the younger generations never fully understand the 'correct' use. It will be interesting to see where this shift takes education, especially when we start to raise our own children!
I really liked the topic you chose for this post, you make a lot of good points that I've never thought of before. I never realized how learning different ways of writing and shorthand can really help in taking notes at school. It's true, I use a lot of abbreviations while taking notes in class because it's a lot quicker and allows me to get more information written down. I think teachers and other professionals may benefit from not only seeing the negative consequences of texting and social communication but also seeing the positive.
ReplyDeleteYour blog caught my interest. It was a very interesting topic that has people split. I found it effective that you presented both sides of the argument. I had never thought of instant and text messaging helping university students.
ReplyDeleteTexting also gives individuals more confidence allowing them to communicate with people they would not otherwise talk to. However, with all the use of social media and shorthand communication grammar in schools is being effected. 'The Daily' from the University of Washington points out that in a study conducted by the State Examination Commission in Ireland that the populations ability to write English is slowly deteriorating. I feel that more research should be put into this discussion. Furthermore, I believe that middle school students must be taught when it is and isn't appropriate to use shortcuts. This is a very interesting conversation and a great choice for a blog post for this class.
I really enjoyed your blog post! I found it very interesting how you mentioned how social media affected your own life, and how the short hand writing actually helped you in your university life.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I did not find that it was such a "debate" as it was an argument towards how short hand was beneficial and how it was not corrupting the English language.
It was a very well-written blog though and I look forward to your future blogs.
Janessa
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ReplyDeleteWow! What an interesting topic. I completely agree that using shorthand makes it way easier to copy down notes, especially when you end up with a professor who is notorious for going very fast through their slides or are a very fast talker. I am going to do some more research on this, thanks!
ReplyDeleteRebecca Miller
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ReplyDeleteI found the cartoon to be both truthful and very humorous. Although I agree that the older generation often sees only the negative side of texting and tweeting in the form of improper grammar, I think that it teaches us to be more concise which can be important in a fast paced world where information needs to be conveyed quickly due to time constraints. I also view this as unfortunate though since I think society needs to slow down a bit.
ReplyDeleteI find this relevant since my biggest challenge when tweeting is to meet the character requirement as I constantly need to edit the post down to meet the limit.
I have to admit, I am guilty of getting annoyed at people who overuse 'text speak' especially when its inappropriate such as commenting on websites, message boards or youtube and serves to reinforce the negative stereotype of being a lazy or even uneducated writer. Like everything else, moderation is key and knowing when its appropriate.
That comic made me laugh because it is so true now, texting has completely changed the way our students learn. I was recently reading in a newspaper about how they are getting students to text the teacher about what they have learned that day in class to ensure that all the students completely understood the lectures of the day. Kind of similar to how we had to tweet three times about our class. It's interesting to see how technology is changing our lives.
ReplyDeleteI however never thought how texting has helped me with taking notes in class. It's funny how we take such small things for granted. I like using short hand when it comes to writing notes but if people use short hand constantly then it can be annoying and makes you question whether or not that person knows exactly how to write properly. There's always positives and negatives for all aspects of life.
Very interesting topic, and the comic really does strike true with today's society. I do see the side where short hand can be convenient when taking notes or interacting amongst peers, though as Jacqueline has posted above, it brings a person's writing skills to question if they constantly use short hand language in every instance such as public forums or professional emails to co-workers, clients or teachers. There is a time and place for everything, especially short hand notation. Also, considering English is a global language used commonly in many other countries, it is would also be important to keep the language standardized and constant. Adding short hand abbreviations to the language every time a new term appears would be detrimental to people who haven't learned English as their first language.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting topic Cassandra! I really agree with what you say about texting helping us take notes in class. Another thing I think we should consider is that in text messaging, the most important thing is getting your message across as quickly as possible. Like with Twitter, it teaches us to be concise, and in a way that everyone will understand. While this may be detrimental to students who become too accustomed to this way of communicating, and do not know proper grammar or spelling, I think that is what education is for. In schools, students are taught proper English, and I'm sure that they can realize for themselves when it is appropriate to speak or write a certain way.
ReplyDelete