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Alexa Corbisiero
ENC 1101
Prof. McGriff
8 November 2016
The Internet: A Whole New World
LOL! WTF! GTG! Are just some of the few commonly used text slang terms.
Texting became popular in the mid 2000s. A text message is an electronic typed message
sent and received on a cell phone. Text messages used to have character limits, this
introduced the use of many more acronyms, abbreviations and slang. Also at this time
social media websites, like Twitter, become more widely used. Twitter is a microbloging
website where like text messaging, at the time, had a character restriction. Many people
think the Internet and texting is degrading the morals and intelligence of todays youth.
Social media and texting has broadened our interactions and enlarged our vocabulary as
technology has through history because it gives us more ways to become acquaint and
share our thoughts with others without diminishing knowledge.
First, a great advantage of social media is the wide amount of people we can
interact with. Meeting people online has become common, whether it is through a social
networking website like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or a dating app or website. The
counterargument claims this is degrading our face-to-face interaction, but I think it is
expanding the amount of people we can communicate with. The Internet has given people
more opportunities to meet others across the world that they never would have thought of
connecting with before. This gives people more chances to learn about other countries
and places. Social media is expanding our communication with others.

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Next, texting has opened a whole new language of abbreviations and acronyms.
Many object that these shortcuts are degrading our language. Likewise, I think acronyms
and abbreviations help better communicate thoughts efficiently. Acronyms like LOL help
us communicate laughter through text. David Crystal says, Although many texters enjoy
breaking linguistic rules, they also know they need to be understood (901). Many also
seem to believe that text language is almost not decodable, but for the receiver to
comprehend the message it is merely just a use of shortcuts, it is not Morse code. Also
texting language is mostly used while texting, it is not affecting learning or formal writing.
Texting has introduced more ways to efficiently communicate through shorthand.
Finally, technology is always improving and yet we are still well functioning
human beings. Ray Williams claims that, The use of these shortcuts may actually hinder a
persons ability to switch between techspeak and the normal rules of grammar. Williams
is stating that texting and technology is making teens lazy and less intelligent. In contrast,
I think technology is improving our abilities and expanding our limitations. Throughout
history everyone has always thought the newest inventions would have a strong negative
affect on the newest generation. Steven Pinker observes, The printing press, newspapers,
paperbacks, and television were all once denounced as threats to their consumers (1029).
Pinker acknowledges other technological inventions in history that have improved our
entertainment and communication. This supports that fact that over generations people
have always thought new technology would ruin our youth, morals, and that we would
lose principal, when in reality it is just an improvement of our use of recourses.

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In conclusion, social media, the Internet, and texting has just improved and
expanded our communication. The Internet is a door of new opportunities! It is not
degrading our youth and future generations, but introducing new technology. Technology
has given our society the ability to use our recourses to the fullest. What are your thoughts
on how texting and social media is affecting todays generation?

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Work Cited
Crystal, David. 2b or Not 2b? Everyones An Author. Ed. Marilyn Moller. New York:
W.W. Norton & Company Inc, 2013. 899. Print.
Pinker, Steven. Mind over Mass Media. Everyones An Author. Ed. Marilyn Moller.
New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc, 2013. 1029. Print.
Williams, Ray. FOROFLOL: Is Texting Damaging Our Language Skills? Psychology
Today. 28 July 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2016