In his article “How Much Has Social Media Changed Society?” Gil Pizano states the following: “Social media allows individuals to gather and express themselves in a much more simple and immediate fashion. By giving people this capability, they not only have the ability to share ideas, opinions and other contents, but also (if they wish) gain notoriety, and expand their influence.” The evidence of this is undeniable but it raises the question; are the individuals aware that they may be revealing much more about themselves than they actually intend to?
After reading a number of online posts, it quickly became evident to me that there is a critical need for the continuing development of language and literacy skills. The effectiveness of a post depends on how engaging the post is and how easy it is to understand – the reader should be able to ‘get it’ quickly without having to interpret what the writer is trying to say.
Do we have the courage to acknowledge that the quick and easy communication styles of social media, text talk and internet slang eliminate the need to know how to spell and construct sentences correctly. Everyone knows what LOL means – larf, larph, laugh out lowd or loud – but please don’t SHOUT AT ME! You can use ‘like’ anywhere in your conversation and writing because you know, like, everyone, like, does it, like and you just do!
This poses another question; are we losing the skills and therefore the ability to express ourselves in a meaningful and interesting way? Some would argue that good language and literacy skills are just not that important anymore. I suggest that the opposite is true as the audience we reach in our social media posts and communications has grown enormously.
Post your thoughts on this topic.
I feel that the ‘dumbing down’ on social media does nobody any good.
Yes, the shortcuts can grab the audience quicker. But the continuous exposure to bad grammar, wrong sentence structure and excessive use of slang slowly starts to look and feel normal. If most of young peoples interactions are online this dumbing down becomes the new norm and we will slowly lose basic language skills in a whole generation. Gosh, I feel old just writing this!
I feel it depends on the audience. If someone is providing commentary on important social issues, then yes, it is likely the audience will be more likely to expect attention to spelling and punctuation. However, a large part of social media is dedicated to young people and marketing, where current slang is an important factor in communication. That being said, I believe there are essential skills such as resume writing, strategic planning etc where a strong grasp of language and literary skills are required. Many careers are becoming increasingly complex, demanding strong LLN skills. Learning bad habits through social media… Read more »
I agree, that good language and literacy skills are still important in social media posts. I have come to realise that there are many people who read your posts and for many different reasons. Therefore it may be considered wise to make sure that we are making good and proper representations of ourselves. Also – I have to say that I do shorten words. Coz = Because, and when we do things like this, they become habit. I have accidentally used shortened words in documentation and not noticed in my editing . . . . . just because it was… Read more »
I would agree with this but it can go both ways – it seems that over time the usage of social media can help to eliminate meaningful sentences from someone that may have literacy skills and I also see that it can cause someone with a non literacy background to actually start reading and writing even though it may be slang, social texting etc. I have grown up in a remote community and have somewhat good literacy skills but may not have the social media talk skills that I want to have meaning of.
I agree with Casey Buchanan, social media is adding to the range of participants and levels of literacy. There is an opportunity for these participants to practice and further develop their literacy and communication skills. Due to the advances in technology and software most participants are able to contribute without developing further, so we are seeing an increasing amount of social media discussion that is lacking basic spelling, punctuation, Etc. This style of discussion means, the purpose of the conversation is being lost, people become frustrated and those with credible Discussion and evidence do not engage. This is a real… Read more »
The rise of Social media is making the written word more common and creating ease of access to people who normally would not be drawn to it. This is very challenging for people who have lower literacy levels but is a great opportunity to produce content that is interesting and accessible and may create an interest in further learning paths.
This is a beautifully written article, and a topic that I do agree with, quite substantially. While I do admit that I often use abbreviations, slang, and acronyms, I do so much less nowadays than I did in my younger years. I understand that LOL-ing and YOLO-ing can be seen as cool and edgy, but a lot more can be said about proper articulation of the English language, through written and spoken words. The use of their, there and they’re are examples of this. Trolling and other online abuse, often simply a result of toxic assumptions through lack of context… Read more »
I agree that LLN skills are more important than ever given the prominence of social media today. Few things invite silent judgement from our peers more than displaying a lack of understanding regarding the use of the words: there, their, and they’re: your vs you’re. My personal bugbear is the use of apostrophes in plurals!
This is a subject close to my heart! Of course communication is key to society functioning in harmony. If these skills are lost or even diluted we risk misunderstandings (people taking things the wrong way) through to breakdowns in relationships.
Many people seem to write on social media posts the first thing that comes into their heads, without editing. Posts then become very subjective and can appear self indulgent, causing annoyance and mockery in the audience (at times).
Good spelling is very important, without it their is even more confusion and may cause a reader to stop reading.
Effective communication is the essence of any good relationship whether with people we know intimately, or those we may only know virtually. Clear communication about an idea or thought is essential to understanding and allowing the audience to interpret correctly whatever it is that the author is trying to convey. The importance of this is highlighted by the potentially negative effect of information being misinterpreted and then spread to a much wider audience, for example, fake news. Someone’s opinion expressed in a way suggesting rather than clearly conveying whether it was based on fact or not, and suddenly everyone is… Read more »
Bravo Mary, I couldn’t agree more…..and this is why I am totally enjoying working with you on your Cert IV….
I definitely believe that the casualisation of expression on social media is a problem because it is diluting our skills and standards over time and leaves the reader to guess at the intended meaning rather than being sure. Societies that succeed have structure, rules, agreed conventions that help things to run smoothly and, if we continue to allow this degradation of language across the board, we may end up with a very odd and corrupted means of communication. I think it was less of an issue when social media first emerged, because people still had some level of schooling with… Read more »
Claire I couldn’t agree more. Maybe being of the “old school” is a disadvantage in this day and age.
Sometimes I receive text messages that I just don’t understand.
Accurate communication is essential for people to understand one another.
When they fail to understand one another, this causes conflict and disengagement.
So we need a common language, common rules.
Language does change over the years. We have only to look at Chaucer to know that.
However, I think right now it’s changing in the wrong way.
Sandy
Good language and literacy skills should always remain important. I don’t agree that it is an either / or competition between emerging forms of communication. I don’t believe we are losing the ability to express ourselves in meaningful and interesting ways. Rather, I think that social media and “online shorthand” tools such as acronyms, emojis, gifs, memes and stickers are making communications more creative, fun and enjoyable. Future generations will have the gift of the broadest range of communication systems available. As many people have said in this blog, I agree that we need to communicate at the appropriate levels… Read more »
Good points Gabrielle, it is important knowing when, where and how to convey messages appropriately.
I also believe too, it depends on the type audience that is reading the social media. While it is true that most of the audience are young people, it is also true that older generations are learning to use social media as well. I think that the biggest challenge is assuming that everyone knows what some of the the ‘short hand’ is for example, LOL means, it is also important to understand that some may also not know because alot of new words are being made as well as a result of this ‘short hand’. The solution could be hard… Read more »
I believe social media has changed society immensely. My personal opinion is we will get better at using it and it will become less of a platform for keyboard warriors and more of an educational tool. I think this is already starting to take place with people preferring to use platforms such as Linkedin rather than Facebook for example. Schools are now starting to ban phones and Ipads etc and we now have a defined condition for people who struggle to communicate verbally with networks efficiently. In my case, I have asked my mother, who is quite old, to cease… Read more »
I would disagree with the notion that good language and literacy skills are no longer important. If you are going to take the time to post an opinion or comment online, then surely you do not wish to be misunderstood. If the rules of spelling, grammar and syntax are ignored, this leaves open the door to ambiguity and mixed messages. Opinions are formed very quickly when dealing with people online and are often based on only a few comments ( or one comment!). If those comments are riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes, the reader may dismiss or not consider… Read more »
The more “relaxed” social media literacy that we often see can give the writer the confidence to post their thoughts. If the writer has issues with literacy then that confidence boosting can be beneficial. Social media can enable the person living with a disability to participate in their wider world. I believe that literacy skills are still relevant in today’s society. It is pretty important that people do understand that different styles of literacy that can apply to different situations. Misinterpretation on social media can be a real issue and can have severe consequences eg flaming an employer on a… Read more »
I strongly believe grammar is incredibly important and that everyone should know and understand how to use correct grammar. These skills are taught in school however I feel due to casual and lazy writing and texting, people forget the skills they once learnt. In relation to communicating with people I think it depends on who you are communicating with that determines the formality of your words. It is becoming more common that people are using social media as their news platform therefore I strongly believe articles and lengthy posts trying to send a message should use correct grammar. Not only… Read more »
I believe that literacy skills are enormously important when using social media for two main reasons. 1. When we are communicating in a written format we don’t have access to the detailed non-verbal information we get in face to face contact (tone of voice, pace of speech, body language, facial expression etc). This leaves written communication open to misinterpretation and our only defense against this is thoughtful and deliberate use of our literacy skills (using accurate words, descriptions and correct punctuation). 2. By developing and carefully using our own literacy skills we become more aware of how meaning is made… Read more »
I have an issue with the way younger, and some older people use these phrases and acronyms. The more common shortened English is used in social media, the more common it becomes in conversation. This leads to shortened social media language being written in formal written communication. The less we use words, the greater the chance they will fade into history and be replaced with the ‘new’ made up or lazy words. The more we use abbreviated or made up words, the more likely they will be picked up by mainstream media, then eventually end up in the dictionary, ‘ungoogleable’… Read more »
My thoughts are, if we as a society use shortened text speak in social media posts, this changes the way we speak as a society. I have heard LOL used in conversations from teenagers. The decline of the English language is at risk. When we start using these words in conversation, they then become more prevalent in written communication that is not on social media, this is very concerning. A scarier thought is how words are added to the dictionary, if a word is used enough, it is added. This was raised in the media a few years back when… Read more »
Regardless of what the format, the art of communication is integral to how we express ourselves, provide opinions, gather knowledge and interact. Literacy and numeracy skills enable us to understand or contribute to any given topic of interest, poor literacy and numeracy skills can be prohibitive for those with lack of confidence and ability while something that is written at a certain level or understanding that is intended for those at a different level of understanding or ability may well not be consumed as it was intended.
Language and literacy should be always very important. Off course between friends and informal scenario we can play and use as many short cut and slang as we please. This is may be a very broad topic and involves personal belief, generational gap, etc… Also we need to take in consideration the contribution of technology, AI, the whole education system and the direction each single government is leading towards. Language is a very powerful tool able to shape present life and mould future generation. Technology reduced the level of attention needed to complete any task. Hand writing in first place:… Read more »
I believe literacy skills are highly important. There is so much miscommunication and misinterpretation that can come from not having enough knowledge in these areas and the misuse of grammar in written text can affect the point you are trying to get across. If you have strong knowledge in these areas you can then apply them appropriately (using the correct abbreviations if required) to ensure that the right message reaches the right people.
As academics like Fitch ( 2010) who specialise in the way humans communicate with each other note, the ability to communicate through language is what distinguishes humans from other species. Originally we communicated through grunts and gesture, then speech then came the ability to write the spoken word down on papyrus then print on paper, then humans began to communicate through media like radio, television and film. When digital age dawned, so social media became a popular communication mode. However, from the moment we began to write things down rules also developed and became important. Judgements were made about the… Read more »
I feel that there has been and always will be a critical role for literacy within our communication systems no matter what shape this may take in the future. I constantly see and hear time and time again a simple conversation whether written or verbal suddenly escalate due to poor grammar, not knowing the full meaning of words before they are used, poor sentence structure or a total failure to pre-read before one sends a document or opens ones mouth. Any form of literacy is a form of language and there for is fine as long and the person you… Read more »
When posting on social media you communicate in a manner that appeals to your intended audience, but the users often forgets that this material is often accessible by a wider group. Simple things can be misunderstood in the traditional day to day communication and this is amplified when the material is accessed via social media by a diverse range of people with different ages, backgrounds and interpretations. As the article says everyone knows the LOL means laugh out loud but does it for everyone? My father in law often uses it in communication to mean lots of love. I think… Read more »
Social media has changed the way we do business, our lifestyle, and the way we socialise and connect with people. there are billions of people that use this communication medium–an effective way to communicate, influence, and be influenced at the cultural and political level. In a major assignment, I indicated that the social media, learning online and other internet mediums are considered as effective informal learning which leads to the acquisition of a second language (L2). Similarly, literacy and numeracy are very important to convey your ideas clearly in this new exciting social media world. I am concerned that some… Read more »
It is estimated that by 2018, over 2.5 billion people world-wide are using various platforms of social media. It has changed the way we communicate, increased availability of information, conduct business, political governance and can bring a group of people together who share a similar ideology. I believe language, literacy and numeracy skills are important, however it does depend on the audience. In 1876, Antonio Meucci invented the first telephone. Revolutionary for the time. Communication went from verbal or written to having the ability of being half way around the world and hearing a conversation in real-time. However, the problem… Read more »
Some great points and comments have already been posted – it was interesting reading through them! I also agree that literacy skills are important when using social media. In my view, it does depend on who the audience is – as we vary our verbal language depending on who we are talking to, I thinks it’s natural to vary it with written communication, which includes social media. I think a key point is that having literacy skills help you to know how best to communicate with your intended audience, and helps you recognise when you have made a mistake. There… Read more »
Yes, language and literacy skills are imperative to good social media commentary to be understood by the broader audience but as these posts are often directed to a limited and colloquial audience and they will be framed in their own “Street” or “Tribal” language and have the flavour of the close group and this will dominate good language and literacy skills. One would hope that in responding to a different demographic, the writer would reframe this language and use the dictionary correct terms and spellings if they are capable of these.
I do believe that language and literacy skills are important when using social media. Many posts are “reactive” in nature and people tend to forget that once the post out in the public domain it is there forever. This is where context becomes extremely important & in particular whether the post has been used in a professional or personal capacity; remembering also that a person’s reputation may be “coloured” by the words they use. The use of social media often means that the intent of the words on the audience are lost, due to the absence of nuances, facial expression,… Read more »
Thanks for your comments Angela you have made some interesting and valid points.
To be honest I know I am very guilty of this. To give some background, my use of social media is limited to being an arm chair expert on Facebook, other platforms are too confusing to me. Further, when I first came to Australia, I had limited English. Though I survived the school system, my uses of grammar and punctuations was always a weakness, and still is. Then came along the mighty computer with grammar and spell-check. Though figuring out the grammar mistakes tested my patience, the quality of my work slightly improved. Then the social media revolution, now I… Read more »
You have made some valid points Dinusha, thanks for sharing your thoughts
Kerry
The rise and rise of social media is unique to our time, but the the rise and fall of literacy and numeracy in the population over time is a recurrent theme. My view is that with the increasing use of digital voice and voice recognition in machines, the literacy levels will decrease evermore. In the past we had the merging of languages for instance in Olde England when French words and phrases infiltrated the English language. Due to only a small portion of the population being literate (or even having access to the written word), we now have a mixed… Read more »
I don’t use social media – exactly – at times I am ‘pressured’ into as I feel I am in danger of being seen by my family as old fashioned. When I text I use a type of personalised short hand which my daughter says is really odd but funny, yet it is functional as the message needs to be short and simple. This may have originated early in the sue of mobile phones when people were charged by the telecom companies virtually per character to send texts. I have read and heard that younger people today are in danger… Read more »
I believe it really depends on the audience at the time as we all understand and relate differently to how we communicate.
I love Helen’s reply the best. My daughter is a teacher and she constantly reminds me when I make a mistake, then, on the other hand some of her posts are hard to read because of the abbreviations she uses. As far as social media goes, you can love it or hate it, but lets face it more words are spoken behind the scenes than if it were to be face to face. I believe that a lot of bullies out there just love social media. It is annoying to see words spelt wrong, or sentences not worded correctly, but… Read more »
Great points Elizabeth, thanks for sharing.
Like the majority of comments, I believe it depends on the post. The importance of language and literacy skills in a professional post compared to the relaxed level required for social social media. I also believe it would be beneficial to have a higher level of language and literacy before choosing to adopt the ‘quick and easy communication styles of social media.’
Yes, literacy skills important when using Social Media. As most of the responses above have touched on, it is important that the author of any message understand the audience, context and substance of their message be it spoken, written or visual. The language used could change with a change in audience. The importance of the words selected also changes with the audience. The author needs to be able to ensure that they are articulating what is accurate, true and correct. Even minor changes or errors in punctuation can completely change the meaning of a sentence or phrase. At the end… Read more »
I don’t think we are losing Literacy skills, I believe we have already lost them. People in general feel that it is ok to misspell, mispronounce, abbreviate & obliterate the English language. The art of writing, comprehension & story telling through our words are all but gone. It is a sad blight on society, that we have become so lazy…. In a participant based course where everything matters, there should be no excuse for bad spelling, or Grammar. Do we have a schooling Issue? As a prospective teacher & trainer I feel it is part of my job description to… Read more »
Posts on social media are made without the visual assistance of facial expression. Without good literacy skills, it is very easy to misinterpret a poorly written comment.
I believe good language and literacy skills are vital now more than ever especially with the increase of the use of social media. Messages on social media are often misconstrued leading to a plethora of comments showing evidence of misunderstanding of the original post. Posts are often shortened (not succinctly) leading to misunderstanding by the reader which is evident in comments. Users of social media need to be extremely careful of how they word their posts especially when they are in the public domain as poorly worded posts may have serious consequences. Another aspect to consider is our literacy and… Read more »
Social Media and the inherent need for all participants to keep ahead of the field has greatly encouraged the use of minimal language. This is undoubtedly a tragedy because it is unable to have brakes applied. The less thought given when contributing to social media posts now will only lead to the use of more minimal language. We are heading for a return to caveman grunts, growls and chest beating.
Yes – language and literacy skills are needed now more then ever before.
Language can be spoken, written or visual depending on the audience. The main thing is that the message is understood by the audience it was intended for. Social media has grown so much over the last few years that maybe it could be perceived to be a new genre. If it encourages more people to read and write I think it is wonderful and hopefully it continues to do so. With continued usage this may even improve some of those poor LLN skills that are prevalent in our society. I must admit I do find it very hard to abbreviate… Read more »
I believe that Language and literacy skills are still important and there is a need for the continuing development of these skills. Social media posts do need to be interesting and the reader definitely needs to understand what the writer is trying to say. Otherwise the message could lost or misinterpreted. Perhaps the quick and easy communication styles of social media maybe limiting our ability to express ourselves and give substance to our thoughts.
Good point Frazer, the key word used is substance and it is often missing in social media posts.
I would suggest that well developed language and literacy skills are still extremely important in order to accurately communicate vital information, as a tool to influence, build a strong structured argument or to effectively demonstrate comprehension. This argument is especially true when using social media given how instant and far reaching these communications platforms are. Abbreviating language, use of slang, acronyms and colloquialisms constantly whilst communicating amongst friends via social media and texting may be acceptable in context but in a professional sense, I believe this demonstrates either a lack of respect for the audience, laziness on behalf of the… Read more »
I agreed most of comments in here, as per these comments (all above) shows us the significance of literacy skills when using Social Media in nowadays. In the findings, our new generation may not be reading the books, but they are clearly interested in modern social networking. So, the question becomes whether modern social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube are spoiling or helping our new generation with reading the books. The Modern social networking sites, which began as social communities, are becoming increasingly important. Furthermore, we to understand how to use literacy skills at appropriately and… Read more »
As someone who contributes to employing people in the office I work in, one of my first port of calls is to search for that person on their social media accounts. People have commented on this above and they are absolutely correct. My manager has followed my example and will now search every applicant’s social media accounts (extremely revealing not only from a LLN point of view). People who have read well in their resume can blow it with the posts they have put up. If that person cannot spell, uses too many abbreviations or cannot construct a sentence appropriately,… Read more »
This is a good point Jake, I think some people forget how visible their online persona is and how much information they may be unwittingly give away.
I do not believe we are losing the skills and therefore the ability to express ourselves in a meaningful and interesting way. My background in communication has taught me that the sender of a message encodes it in some way according to their mood, background and perspectives and sends it out in a mode of communication such as Social Media (or talking). Another person then decodes the information based on their mood, background and perspectives to make meaning. I believe that Social Media usually lacks important non-verbal communication so it is so important that people know conventional language and literacy… Read more »
Emily, this is a very interesting comment. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I think that acquiring language and literacy skills is a lifelong journey. In saying that, I believe that having a good grasp of how language works actually makes it easier to be able to abbreviate and or using slang more effectively. As for being able to decipher the acronyms using on social media platforms, well that seems to be an ever evolving thing where the younger generation are adding to everyday language and the older generations are struggling to keep up! There will always be mixed opinions on what is acceptable language/literacy standards. I do think that having the knowledge… Read more »
Excellent points Rachel, as you have noted if we want to be effective communicators we need to continue this lifelong journey of learning, this applies to both young and old. I must admit there are many text abbreviations that I don’t understand.
I too believe literacy skills are still relevant and important.