The impact of texting-the generational divide
Abbreviations have existed for decades, contrary to popular belief. It can be seen throughout history in things like the hieroglyphics, used by the Ancient Egyptians as a formal writing system around the 32nd century BC.
From the point of view of an older generation it's visible that the younger generation are introduced to the internet as soon as they are born; with that follows texting. A usual text message conversation consists of purely abbreviations which were introduced by the younger generation-possibly to gatekeep from the older generation. However, only 10% of words on average are actually abbreviated. This is because 80% of messages overall are sent by adults who typically message people formally for business or relatives.
College teacher, Thomas Ray voices his opinion:
“I am not a big texter. I prefer to pick up my phone and speak in person.”
“I do know some abbreviations but not many, e.g., lol, idk, ffs. But I don’t think I’m representative of my age group as many of my peers do text emojis and abbreviations freely. For example, I would cringe if I texted lol.”
For certain children, texting can help build foundational reading skills such as word recognition and phonological awareness. Otherwise, abbreviations are thought to just be a cool way to communicate, which is why they are widely used by the younger generation. It creates a sense of belonging between their age group. This could be the central reasoning for adults feeling left out, despite the fact that the slang they use isn’t intended for them to understand.
