New media’s communication technologies have created different means of interacting with society, individuals and self. They have become domesticated; they are integrated into our lives and more and more individuals are “always on,” continually connected through networks. The effects these technologies have had on how individuals share material and communicate are evident; prosumers are using abbreviations and emoticons to simplify and enhance messages. Termed ‘netspeak’ by Crystal (2006), computer-mediated communication is a contentious topic, and whether it has diminished, or bettered language, communication and relationships is something to consider.

Netspeak tends to be informal, casual and amendable; letters are omitted, words are misspelt, grammar is deemed irrelevant and punctuation is scarce. Justifiably, questions of whether netspeak is undermining literacy skills are raised. One in particular is, are individuals forgetting the “rules for word construction and sentence mechanics” (Baron 2008, 7), or is it that they simply do not care? Baron (2008, 7) argues “the sheer amount of text that literate Americans produce is diminishing our sense of written craftsmanship,” but does this even matter?

 Alternatively, the way individuals use computer-mediated communication can be viewed as innovative—prosumers are creating new ways of engaging and communicating. Baym (2010, 59) states individuals “appropriate media characteristics as resources to pursue social and relational goals.” Moreover, individuals show “immediacy” online through activities that focus on relationships and limit emotional detachment (Baym 2010, 61). With Twitter capping tweets at 140 characters, messages and thoughts have to be expressed succinctly. Users commonly use minimalistic methods like abbreviations and fragments to condense their messages. This minimalism is used so frequently that it has translated over into everyday life, something that was illustrated in 2010 when ‘BFF,’ ‘LMAO’ and ‘TTYL’ were added into the lexicon of the Oxford American Dictionary (Oxford University Press).

Emoticons are another result of computer-mediated communication. The issue with written communication is that individuals can interpret messages in different, sometimes unintended ways; the use of emoticons rectifies this. Crystal (2006, 41) identifies how emoticons can have “pragmatic force”—individuals use them to indicate how messages should be translated. Used regularly in tweets, iMessages, emails and more, they have become entwined with every day media communication. Emoticons began as simple combinations of keyboard characters like ‘:-)’ and are now, given their popularity, graphics and ‘Emojis’ of almost everything, from foods to animals and wide variety faces.

How individuals appropriate emoticons, abbreviations and other devices to align with social norms shapes their self. Baym (2010, 62) highlights, “as people appropriate the possibilities of textual media to convey social cues, create immediacy, entertain, and show off… they build identities for themselves, build interpersonal relationships, and create social contexts.”

New media and its technologies have changed the way people communicate; it is increasingly more common for people to be “always on,” always connected. While it is questionable if netspeak is weakening literacy skills, it has become the social norm. New communication methods assist, and computer-mediated communication methods assist in shaping individuals sense of self and devices like abbreviations and emoticons show prosumer innovation.

References Baron, Naomi. 2008. “Email to Your Brain: Language in an Online and Mobile World.” In Always On: Language in an Online and Mobile World, 3-10. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Baym, Nancy. 2010. “Communication in Digital Spaces.” In Personal Connections in the Digital Age, 50-70. Cambridge MA: Polity Press.

Crystal, David. 2006. “The Medium of Netspeak.” In Language and the Internet. 2nd ed., 26-65. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.