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Online Chatting

The Internet is a big part of the modern teenager's life, and with that comes chatting online. As such, this is often portrayed in novels, movies, and shows, but one thing that really bothers me is the way teenagers are portrayed as IM'ing. A lot of the time, you'll see conversations like this:


h0ll1st3r_gurl: OMG hey grrl what r u doing 2nite?
equally_ann0ying_grrl: OMG hey whazzup im just chilling @ home LOL
h0ll1st3r_gurl: LOL dont b a loser your coming 2 the party @ adam's

This is the so-called "chatspeak", and speaking as a teenager, this is something none of my friends use. Sometimes if we're in a rush while texting or running low on characters, we'll type "u" for you", but when chatting online with ample time, we talk normally.

Teenagers - at least the ones I know - don't necessarily chat formally with punctuation and everything, but they do type words full-out, like "are" instead of "r". It honestly took me longer to type that example dialogue than writing the previous paragraph. Plus, "LOL" and "OMG" are only capitalized when you intend it as something to be shouted.

What's your experience with examples of online chatting in books/movies? Does it annoy you when you see "chatspeak" used?

5 comments:

brave chickens said...

I've noticed this as well and I do an involuntary eye twitch because it bothers me so much! Even on TV shows.

We Heart YA said...

Like you, we don't use chatspeak, and we never have. HOWEVER, we've seen GROWN ADULTS using it in emails and Facebook messages, so unfortunately it's a legit thing... It does sort of mildly annoy us, mostly b/c it's so much work to figure out, but fortunately we don't run into it TOO often.

Alissa said...

Ugh, the chatspeak in books always bugs me. I have never personally used it, or seen my friends use it. So I guess I'm one of the lucky ones that hasn't had to put up with it. Reading those sorts of chat conversations in books just makes me cringe.

Not a fan!

fakesteph said...

I used chatspeak back when I was 13 and AIM just came out. It's something I--and most of my friends--have gotten past, but it was definitely a real thing back when chat was emerging as a form of communication. Most people are so adept at typing both on computers and cell phones that they don't use it. The people who do use chatspeak are generally those inexperienced with that form of communication. Except for LOL's and OMG's... those are legit.

kaye (paper reader) said...

Ugh. I never used it even when I was younger and I still don't. I'm a stickler for proper punctuation and any sort of internet speak just seems lazy to me. Like Alissa, it makes me wince just to see it typed out in a book. I can't take it seriously!

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