Positive and Negative Aspects of the Texting and Associated Innovation - Assignment Example

Comparing and contrasting 2B or not 2B and Digital Media in Changing Language Introduction The use of personal computers and mobile phones form some of the most recent forms of technological advancement in the world. These two devices have had effects on written English language because of some of the aspects that they use. This is in regard to the innovation of texting that took center stage in the early 1990s and has picked up in the last ten years generating a lot of revenue to mobile service providers. Initially, it was difficult to come up with devices that would facilitate texting process but recent innovations have made the process very easy. In fact, texting has been confirmed to be one of the leading activities that have generated a lot of revenue for most telecommunication companies around the globe. Easy access to mobile phones to youths and school going students and pupils has seen increased use of text massages. This has raised concerns and has even led to debates on the issue of texting and how it would affect learner’s ability to read and write. Teachers and other experts in the field of education would want to know whether the use of text as a form of communication improves or negatively affects literacy skills of the learner. Some people including authors have condemned texting and even gone an extra mile termed it as digital virus. Texting has been associated with the invention of and access to mobile phones and personal computers within the past 20 years. This write up looks at some of reasons as to why texting has been condemned by various people and some of the devices facilitating its proliferation within the young generation. In relation to 2B or not 2B, texting has been seen as an innovation that is destroying English language. In fact, it has been perceived as an aspect that not only savages sentences but also rapes vocabulary in English. In addition to this, some writers say that texting encompasses poor spellings, hides dyslexia and is a clear indication of mental laziness in those using texts as a form of communication. People who employ texting as a form of communication make use of abbreviations, digits and even shortened words. Some authors and writers have seen no novelty in these aspects. They oppose texting because they believe that some of its aspects are meaningless and can be understood by people of one generation. An example of this is the use of texting in among the youths who are conversant with some of the texts used. On the other hand, parents and the older generation may not be able to connect some of the numbers, words or even short forms used to get the right meaning of the text. In addition to this, there is use of deviant spellings in texting; a factor that is perceived to be lowering the standard of linguistic aspects. In some learning institutions there have been concerns that some of the students are making use of some of the aspects used in texting making it difficult for the teachers to understand the work of those students. However, some of these writers and authors fail to understand that some of the aspects used in texting have been in existence for a long period and that such aspects did not start recently as they claim. For instance, as early as 1828, “Cos” was in existence. In addition to this, some writers published works on some of the short forms used in the English language. Today, some of these short forms are being used in texting. In addition to this, poetry has made use of abbreviation and other short forms in the past. In fact, there have been competitions on the usage of short form and other abbreviations in writing. Research has shown that texting save energy that would be used in writing lengthy and well composed messages. In fact, instead of having conversation with people, texting would serve the same purpose among people that are conversant with the aspects used. In addition to this, there are aspects associated with saving time. Texting has also been linked to playful aspects that are good for school going children and even youth. Research has shown that texting does not erode a child’s ability to read or acquire knowledge in writing and reading. On the contrary, it enables learners to improve their literacy skills. Moreover, texting encompasses aspects of brevity in communication, an aspect that may be required when a person is occupied and is required to make communication to others. Texting has also been found to have other advantages such as the incorporation of images such as smiles in communicating. In fact, texting as perceived by some writers may not be negative; it is an indication of innovations that have been made to suit the dynamic environment that surrounds people. Those opposing texting should also know that students will be conversant with texting aspects if they are good in spoken language. Therefore, texting would serve to display and not degrade their linguistic skills. The article on digital media and the changing language looks on the positive aspects associated with innovations that have seen proliferation of the texting aspects in communication. This is unlike the article on 2B or not 2B that portrays texting as being negative. Today, there is increased use of texting facility among the youths even during school hours. Recently, texting has been associated with high profits in the communication industry that employs mobile phones. For instance people make use of text when they do not want to engage in conversations. According to these people, texting enables them to evade talks that would be time wasting to them. Most of the social networks that have taken up the communication industry also make use of texting and this serve the needs of this industry (Baron, 2000). Among the youths and friends, texting has been found to be a tool that enables maintenance of a relationship already established between people. It forms that cheapest means of communication that is aimed at connecting and keeping friends in touch with one another. Texting also form a means of multitasking when people are engaged. In addition to this, texting has been used in confirmation of transactions that may be difficult to confirm using mobile phones. Similarly, this article has indicated usage of digits, letters and even short forms in communication. In fact, a big percentage of texting aspects are not based on linguistics. Youths attending schools have been found to have gross mistakes associated with punctuation and writing styles. In addition to this, schools have been finding it difficult in enforcing linguistic rules to their learners because of the influence of texting (Baron, 2000). In summary, the two articles above reflect both positive and negative aspects of the texting and associated innovation. The positive aspects’ benefits overweight the negative effects in terms of time saving and effective communication. Efficient use of texting requires the users to be good at linguistic skills. Therefore, there should be no concerns relating to erosion of linguistic ability in users. References Baron, N. (2000). Alphabet to email: How written English evolved and where it’s heading. New York: Routledge. Read More