Is social media and texting making our children less intelligent?
I was correcting my nieces' writing response and was appalled to see the letter u in place of you, and common texting abbreviations like lol incorporated into a formal paper. Has anyone else noticed this? It's terrible.
Personally, I feel irked when someone uses u or lol in a paper, and texting doesn't help.
On the other hand, in the long run, it might be the next big thing since we stopped using thou, thy, thine, canst, etc
They should be able to know when it's appropriate to use that language and when not. My children are too young to text or use social media at the moment, but I do have young cousins and I find it particularly disrespectful when they use 'u' or 'lol' in a message to me when I always write full words and sentences.
But am I being too sensitive, and a bit old-fashioned? They certainly don't intend to be disrespectful, so is it still my place to try to educate them? I'm not sure. Language is continuously evolving, and if we don't like the new trends that crop up are we right to fight against them? Personally, I haven't the energy or inclination to fight, and find it easier to just lead by example, hoping that the language I speak and write will last a good while longer.
The chances are that this might be a short-lived trend. Or not. Time alone will tell.
I believe that to completely understand the phenomena, you must go a bit further back than texting. In the 1980's, when personal computers became a "necessity", it began our slow side into impatience and illiteracy (so to speak). Computers require short-hand and, worse, with the advent of the internet and Windows, you have people of all ages who come to expect information and satisfaction instantaneously. Spelling and grammar have never been a school child's favorite subject, but with spell check and other document tools, you lose the point of spelling and grammar knowledge completely. You now have adults, as well as children, who may submit higher level papers or business documents which have been spell and grammar checked - yet, which may also still contain inaccuracies.
Texting is only the continuation of this sad, downward trend, but there will always be some people who resist the general laziness of society and check their own work. How can children know when is appropriate to use or not use text language if their elders do not?
It is not making them more intelligent. I think the children of today have the ability to learn proper English and grammar skills and I think they can learn that everything does not deserve a comment and the whole world does not have to know they went to the mall. Hopefully, they will learn the value of discretion and privacy.
I wouldn't say less intelligent, so much as less motivated to learn. There are so many distractions, and way to much stimulation for children to really engage in learning. There are also so many short cuts to school now a days, and in many places there is no failing so children face no immediate consequences for not learning.
It is really a combination of things that are making our brains lazier, and numbing our sense of worth and motivation. The intelligence is still there, it just needs to be properly stimulated, and all the other stimulation needs to be tuned out.
I don't think so but when children do text or message they should know to type them properly. Its a common thing in everyone for using abbrevations. That's a thing that children themselves should think about and correct if they want to be more intelligent and sometimes parents do have to stick their noses in.
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