Like omg!!! Essay

Submitted By dlbrimberry
Words: 1019
Pages: 5

Like omg!! Do not blink! Some technological fad may pass. Zoom, there goes the latest iPhone everyone needs. Zoom, there goes the Facebook post everyone reads. Zoom, there goes the text lingo everyone uses. This culture reflects the world of the developed country, where they distribute one-of-a-kind items by the millions, where they focus on another celebrity divorce instead of a political disaster in a foreign country, where convenience and efficiency takes precedence over quality and novelty. Written (or, more accurately, typed) messages epitomize this hackneyed culture. The same people bewildered by the diction of classical literature would give Shakespeare a heart attack if he had the chance to read a conversation via text message. ikr?!?! its totes dum I mean omg so much hmwrk!!1!!111!!11! Despite how trivial, petulant, and gossip-laced language seems today, this linguistic evolution is, like, a big deal. For technology that has only been around for a few decades, it has successfully delivered the killing blow to one of its ancestors: letters. Et tu, Yahoo? Actual letters, by the way, not the junk or bills or ads or mail that arrives daily in the mailbox. Letters, as in a personal message written to another person simply for the pleasure of written correspondence when verbal communication is not possible. More simply, letters are texts on paper, physically taken to the sender. Letters are a work of art where sentimentality is the inspiration and the ink on paper is the medium. Communication has always taken a significant stance in humanity. From the need to express simple ideas to the rest of the hunting pack, to the development of spoken language around the hearth, to the evolution of the written word, to the first library, to the printing press, to the power of literacy, to widespread literacy, to today, the biggest advances in human history have had a connection to communication. These advances have benefited society, promoting the spread of knowledge. However, with texting, emails, and who knows next, people have gotten…shallow. It seems that modern communication too closely reflects the simplistic grunts and sounds of early man. Could it be possible that the latest model of language is more like a detrimental malady instead of an evolutionary leap? Flashback to a century ago, give or take. Newspapers are the media, and letters are the personal correspondence. If people need to make an inquiry, they wrote letters. If people needed to spread news throughout the entire family, they wrote letters. If people wanted to talk, but were physically separated, they wrote letters. Lengthy letters, more than adequately filled with equal parts etiquette and eloquence to express meaningful thoughts and feelings. A piece of the write lives on the page. Now, compare to today. Where did this go? The art of letter writing deserves a longer life. Letters are a more heartfelt way of expressing oneself, full of tangible sentimentality, that makes people really think about what they want to say, and the message extends beyond the words written. The little details make all the difference to both the sender and the reader. Writing letters requires time, patience, thought. The permanence of ink on paper forces the writer to consider exactly how he or she wants to express his or her ideas effectively. Not only does this prove to the reader the effort the writer is willing to make in order to nurture a relationship, but will increase the articulacy of writing in general, especially for students, whose myriad of tests demand nothing short of excellence. Overall spelling, grammar, and natural flow of ideas will improve. A better grasp of writing will allow people to develop a broader understanding of literature and the artillery available to them. Letters also give an emotional outlet as well as a tangible object to attach these emotions to. This psychological benefit is self explanatory. Think of members of the