How Is Text Messaging Affecting Teen Literacy: Essay

Did you know that since 2004, smartphone use has grown by more than 5000 percent, and the demand for more voice and data services is still greater than ever? Well, did you also know that text messaging remains the single most popular way of communicating, and many students view it as a key part of social life for college undergraduates? In today’s society, texting has become the new normal way of communication as it effectively allows individuals to express their feelings without any restraints. Not only that, you can right away tell individuals where you are and send a basic message, without making a tedious telephone call. However, theirs have been much controversy over the negative impacts texting has on learning. With research taking a glance at the effect of messaging on social connections, scholastic execution, and individual security, it basically recommends that having the capacity to communicate carefully helps cultivate those connections that are vital in a texter's life. Although these connections can be steadily built, the literacy of the texter can eventually change. Therefore, texting has become a new innovation of communication causing a drastic change in the efficiency of their language.

This new innovative style of communicating has stirred a fairly harmful impact on genuine association eye to eye, whereas inside an instant message, the feeling and reason behind what is endeavoring to be said can be misjudged. We are gradually inadequate about the capacity and 'expertise' of human association, and as a result of the way messaging is esteemed today, it is difficult to see its different weaknesses. As texting begins to evolve, many individuals turned their use of language into cryptic abbreviations, including emojis or slang, to justify a code of something else or a literal meaning without fully stating it in wording. Psychologically, the use of these hints and acronyms leads us to the concept of extra-linguistic information, which is the other components of language without using the literal meanings of the word. Although emojis are a great way to justify what we are meaning to say when we as a whole text, the abbreviations of words can have a more dramatic influence on the language being communicated outside of the text. Many teenagers today struggle to type papers properly due to their lack of appropriate language use in their day-to-day text messages. With the new use of shortcuts teenagers use to justify what they mean, studies have been set in place to test its positive and negative effects. According to Drew Cingle and Shyam Sunder, authors researching at Penn State University, they believed that “the students who write in techspeak used shorthand phrases to compose a text message, and that writing in techspeak would prevent person’s ability to go from techspeak to normal rules of grammar” (Essays, 2018). They seem to believe grammar scores are lower than usual because of teenagers' use of shorthand language. Not only that but also the matter of their messages being incomprehensible. Another professor in England believes that “texting is bleak, bald, sad shorthand, which masks dyslexia, poor spelling, and mental laziness” (Crystal, 2008). So, when people talk socially and use common abbreviations, they compromise their intelligence skills and shorten their overall brainwave and cognitive functioning (Wang, 2016). Inclusively, the negative effects of texting on language are their overall grammar, interpersonal and social skills.

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To carry on the fact that textism can have a negative impact on their learning abilities, it can also shine a light on something more positive and innovative in this world of communication. As reported by John McWhorter, a language expert, and linguistic professor, “Texting is not the destruction of standard language, but is the development of an entirely new language with a grammar all its own” (Macmillan, 2013, p.235). Mr. McWhorter also believes that texting is a sample of fingered speech, one in which its own rules and vocabulary are formulated (Copeland, 2017). Furthermore, textism has developed positive cognitive abilities and literary skills in the form of spoken languages. A psychological skill associated with this oral language is phonological awareness; an individual’s awareness of the sounds of spoken language. Analysts have indicated more than once that teenagers who get unequivocal phonological mindfulness guidance in the end improve their scholarly aptitudes. All the more essentially, much textism relies on senders and recipients having great semantic capacities and some procured phonetic abilities for effective messaging to happen. In this way, to all aims and purposes, messaging, through its content controls and manifestations, gives a stage for teenagers to make and practice phonemic exercises that improve phonemic mindfulness. This essential aptitude is in the end promptly exchanged to perusing and composing procurement, and assists education improvement. Thus, messaging isn't really hindering, but really adding to the abstract abilities of those teens who have inborn phonological capacities while working regularly (Lanir, 2014). So, therefore, despite the typical thoughts of texting and language, it can be seen both positively and negatively from simple research studies.

Furthermore, the psychological and physical penalties of textism can compromise the capacity to build up emotional intelligence abilities related to interpersonal connections. “Emotional intelligence is the ability to sense and manage emotions in yourself and others” (Macmillan, 2008, p.237). Not only that, but emotional intelligence is the capacity to get, use, and deal with your very own feelings in positive approaches to assuage pressure, convey viably, relate to other people, defeat difficulties, and defuse stress. This can affect a teenager’s intelligence because when they are going through a breakup in text messaging, their emotional stability can instantly change due to their conscious decision of not verbally doing it. So, regardless of a relationship or friendship separation, the mind's emotional intelligence is affected. In addition to these theories, all of these can affect the way a person thinks. Studies have shown how much texting can improve their ability to prosper in the classroom. Conforming to studies on college students, “a larger number of texts have correlated with better reading accuracy and fluency” (Macmillan, 2011, p.225). Therefore, texting is a communication style affecting not just your language but multiple factors including your intelligence and thinking.

In a nutshell, texting can affect one’s mind in the sense of communication and intellectual skills. Due to multiple studies, it became evident that there are positive and negative correlations to teenagers texting as it can enhance their English language and cognitive abilities, or ultimately destroy it. Texting may appear to degenerate the language abilities of individuals, however, the truth of the matter is language is continually changing and developing, and the event that it is advancing toward messaging makes it alright.

References

1. Copeland, M. V. (2017, June 04). Texting Isn't Writing, It's Fingered Speech. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/2013/03/texting-isnt-writing-its-fingered-speech/
2. Crystal, D (2008). Txting: The gr8 db8. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press http://www.macmillanhighered.com/launchpad/pomerantz1e/10353415#/launchpad
3. Essays, UK. (November 2018). Impact of Texting on Language. Retrieved from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/english-language/the-impact-of-text-messaging-english-language-essay.php?vref=1
4. Lanir, L. (2014, July 14). Text Messaging May Improve Literacy Skills. Retrieved from https://www.decodedscience.org/text-messaging-basically-addictive-or-essentially-additive/7597
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10. Wang, J. (29, June 16). How Messaging Affects Your Brain – Which Is Why You Should Never Text and Drive. Retrieved from https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/1982937/how-messaging-affects-your-brain-which-why-you-should-never