7 Impacts Social Media Has On Our Language Skills

‘Shakespeare went to a lot of trouble for our language, and now you’ve knocked away half of the consonants’ With all of the new technology emerging in the 21st century to keep us all connected, we must acknowledge all of the side effects such modernity has upon the use of the english language and the way it is used.

1. Humans are creating a new language

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Many social media sites have a character or word limit, and this may cause users to need to concentrate their ideas. This usually results in a type of grammar violation called 'textspeak'. This shorthand is a way of communicating online that sometimes involves new dialect and abbreviations.

An example of this is the use of the abbreviation 'LOL'. Instead of meaning "Laugh Out Loud" as it was created to mean, it has turned into what is called a "pragmatic particle" this is a word or a phrase that is not directly linked to the context of the conversation but is a mood/tone tool. It gives the listener or receiver an indication of how the author is feeling.

2. The use of punctuation has become superfluous

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The use of the period or full-stop has taken on a new meaning. Instead of indicating the end of an idea or thought the period is used to indicate aggression, intense excitement or anger.

When a person ends a sentence in textspeak with a period they are usually showing that they are not happy and slightly frustrated. When a period is used very frequently, especially in cases that involve separating each word with a period, it is intended to be very dramatic and controls the way the way readers interpret the idea as people will tend to pause at every period.

3. We are becoming more concise with our ideas

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Another side effect of social media word limits is the development of our ability to be more direct.

The skill of small talk is no longer valued, and a new way of writing that is more concise and straight forward is pushing its way through. This leads to the development of short punchy or dramatic sentences. This is also due to the use of written and video blogs as authors are aware that they only have a few moments to get the audience's attention before they move along.

4. We are losing the ability to separate textspeak from Proper Grammar

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Many times regular social media users can be caught using Textspeak in less appropriate settings.

We often forget that some circumstances require us to communicate with others using more formal language or simply proper grammar. Many people abbreviate their words and do not correctly punctuate or capitalise their words out of habit.

5. Limited communication is leading to Miscommunication

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The evolution of the use of language has caused a reduction in the vast variety of language that was used only about a decade ago.

Many people who are avid social media users are less inclined to read or write for pleasure on a regular basis; this means that many people are not giving themselves the opportunity to expand their vocabulary. The level of a person's vocabulary skills is often used as a judge of intelligence for external parties. If a person communicates in the same way repeatedly by using vocabulary that is below the level that is expected of them or for the occasion, they can appear to be less intelligent or as if they are not truly interested. The lack of variety in a person's vocabulary can reduce their ability to get their ideas across in the most efficient way possible.

6. Hiding behind screens can make face-to-face communication difficult

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Social media has the ability to make us less social.

Many people are less able to express themselves through face to face communication because they have become accustomed to the use of emoticons and slang as a means of getting across their point. Some people use social media to avoid direct contact. The use of social media as a primary means for communication has resulted in the loss of of adequate conversation and listening skills. Little to no practice with articulating language and tolerance of conversation discomfort can lead to the lack of ability to read body language, social cues and empathy skills.

7. Social media is being used to make confrontation easier.

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People will turn to social media as an alternative to face-to-face confrontation, making it easier for them to block out negative responses.

This gives people the illusion that they have the ability to deal with an issue they may have with another person without giving real consideration for the other person's emotions. This can create relationship gaps. Without being empathetic of other people in a conversation people can create the wrong image of themselves and become more detached from others

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