BRB, LOL… every student knows what those two abbreviations stand for without having to look them up. In an article I just read (link below), it addresses the issue of “Does texting and cyber slang harm students writing skills?” The short article cited some examples that show texting does harm student’s social skills, but I wanted to weigh in with my own opinion. Twitter, one of the most popular social media sites today, only allows you to express your thoughts in 140 characters. When it comes to texting, people want to receive and send information quickly. In order to accomplish these tasks we often cut corners. It’s quicker to type tm instead of tomorrow or hw instead of homework. Please gets shortened to pls and to, too, and two are all abbreviated by the number 2. In today’s society everyone is in such a rush to have a conversation or send a tweet that proper grammar is being exchanged for words per minute. Students are so addicted to texting and social media that often times they can’t go one whole class period without feeling the need to check their phone and sneak a text or dm (direct message) while the teacher isn’t looking. While this texting and cyber slang has become a language of its own, it is still not acceptable for formal work. This new cyber language translates itself into formal essays for classes, not because it’s easier, but because it is second nature to cell phone and internet users. It has become a norm for teachers and professors to warn their students to use formal language in an assignment and not online language. So to answer the question posed by the article…yes texting and cyber slang harm students writing skills. While the internet offers students an outlet to express their thoughts, stay connected, and have unlimited resources, it also makes them lazier. In order for students to have proper grammar skills there needs to exist a balance between cyber language and the proper English language.

http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/arcives/texting_impacts_student-writing.shtml

-Nolan Bennett