Christopher Marshall's List: Chat and Texting Debate

Recent negative media attention surrounding the use of text speak (shorthand abbreviations of words such as gr8 for "great") and the potentially detrimental effects of text speak on literacy prompted this study of texting and literacy in 80 college students. Thirty-four text speak users and 46 nontext speak users were assessed on their proficiency and familiarity with text speak as well as their standardized literacy levels and misspellings of common text speak words. Results showed that while text speak users were more proficient with the vocabulary, both groups showed familiarity with text speak. More important, there were no significant differences between the two groups in standardized literacy scores or misspellings of common text speak words. Thus, our analyses showed that the use of text speak is not related to low literacy performance. Nonetheless,more than half of the college students in this sample, texters and nontexters alike, indicated that they thought text speak was hindering their ability to remember standard English. These conflicting findings are discussed within a framework of future directions for research.

n the age of text messaging, where words are reduced to nonstandard abbreviations and symbols, many people question the future of literacy.

“A generation ago, a teen who couldn’t read well could still participate pretty fully in the social conversation among peers,” says Timothy Shanahan, president of the International Reading Association.

Cyber slang is a term used to describe shortcuts, alternative words, or even symbols used to convey thoughts in an electronic document.

“Texting is a poor substitute for true connection,” she says.  “Lots of relationships never take off in a truly connected heart-to-heart manner without the in-person contact and connection.