"Students failing because of Twitter, texting,"

[AlphaFrog]

My mom is close to 60 and has a Master's degree and has recently learned to text...AND SHE'S DRIVING ME CRAZY!!!!

Last text she sent: Member 2 get tics 4 Sat 2-13

I have a full keyboard on my phone for a reason. I text in complete sentences and paragraphs.

[LikeASista]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

I have a full keyboard on my phone for a reason. I text in complete sentences and paragraphs.

Now that's a mouthful. I'm exactly like you, AlphaFrog, in that I always text in complete sentences. While it may very well save time to do the "short hand" version by using 'u' for 'you' and/or 'r' for 'are', I just think it really takes us out of being specific about communicating our thoughts and ideas to one another. The more we get out of it, the less we are able to communicate with one another. I think all of us grew up with slang as a second language , but each one of us understood the value of the written word when it was time to communicate to our teachers. Nowadays, it doesn't seem to be valued as much unfortunately.

[DrPhil]

LOL. My friends and I also text in complete words and sentences with proper grammar and spelling. I hate the character limits that make me have to shorten sentences to avoid messing up the grammar and syntax.

I guess we're all dorks who know that shorthand is technically not the same as the sucky syntax, grammar, and spelling that people do in texts and so forth.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

LOL. My friends and I also text in complete words and sentences with proper grammar and spelling. I hate the character limits that make me have to shorten sentences to avoid messing up the grammar and syntax.

Same here! The only reason I'll shorten something is if my text goes slightly over the 160 character limit. If it's going to be way over, I'll just send 2 texts. But I always change "and" to "&", take out some commas, or not leave a space in between a period and the next sentence before I start shortening and/or changing the spelling of words.

Thinking about it, I believe it takes me more time to edit my texts than it does to actually type them out sometimes

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

Same here! The only reason I'll shorten something is if my text goes slightly over the 160 character limit. If it's going to be way over, I just send 2 texts. But I'll always change "and" to "&", take out some commas, or not leave a space in between a period and the next sentence before I start shortening and/or changing the spelling of words.

Thinking about it, I believe it takes me more time to edit my texts than it does to actually type them out sometimes

Same here! This is also why I call more than I text. If we need multiple, long texts then pleeeeeeease just call me. LOL

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Same here! This is also why I call more than I text. If we need multiple, long texts then pleeeeeeease just call me. LOL

THANK YOU!

The other problem with texting is that everyone becomes so dependent on it, that no one wants to talk on the phone anymore. If a text conversation lasts more than 10 minutes, I simply stop texting back. Then the person usually asks, "You there?" and then they call me, or decide that the conversation isn't important enough to continue, and they give up. It's stupid to text for a half hour, having to put smileys, or "LOL" after every sentence so the other person understands your tone, when a 5 minute phone call could have worked just as well... and in some cases, even better.

[LikeASista]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

LOL. My friends and I also text in complete words and sentences with proper grammar and spelling. I hate the character limits that make me have to shorten sentences to avoid messing up the grammar and syntax.

Yup, ... and Twitter has really jacked us in the area of character limits.

[AlphaFrog]

I just told my mom last night (who just got a phone with a keyboard, and thus has no more excuses for poor texting grammar) that to me, proper spelling/capitalization is the same as manners - it shows you have respect for the other person. She replies with "You can't figure out where the capitals go??" D'oh! She also tells me that text speak is the "wave of the future" and is now socially acceptable. I don't buy it.