Posts Tagged ‘conversations’
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE: What’s All This Tech Talk?
BIRDS OF A FEATHER WILL FLOCK TOGETHER
Follow the Tweety Bird, Right?
I’m open-minded to using new advancements in technology and communicating with others through different channels. I understand this @Me, @You, @WeAreAwesome, @ListenToMe, @MyBrand, @WhoAreYou on Twitter and now appearing everywhere. I wonder how did this shorthand “tech talk” evolve and what does it mean to the future of communication?
"Copy and study this list of text messaging spelling words. We will have a test tomorrow."
The social media ninjas and mavens equate Twitter to a conversation between others at a party. Yet, more people at business events are communicating with one another picking up their phone to make a Twitter statement rather than walking over to carry on a conversation. In some strange way by attending an event with a room full of people sharing a similar hashtag creates a safe environment to connect to the panel and/or the audience. I appreciate the opportunity to read different viewpoints from others sharing their thoughts on Twitter. Although it surprises me that some are still too shy to approach one another in a real face-to-face conversation. For others, the mobile medium is just the thing to make the introduction easier to break the ice and say hello.
BRB, LOL, RT, bit.ly, ow.ly, #hashtag, ^KS
Do you ever wonder who chooses the characters that are adopted by many to speak with one another on Twitter? Why is this language appearing in other everyday conversations that it has become acceptable? As people increase the use of Smartphones, texting, Twitter and so forth, English is starting to become a second language as a set of digital words takes on new form.
Over the years, prestigious awards have been given to authors that have been recognized for their talents and their extraordinary use of the English language. During this day and age, we praise others for the most ‘LIKES’ and ‘Followers’ that have crafted their characters and content in a way to gain recognition. We edit our comments keeping things concise because time is precious to capture one’s attention. The popular search-engines start to highlight these commonly used terms and comments at the top of its rankings that others start to copy the style. As more people use new technology and the “talking trends” become mainstream, it’s all right to abbreviate in other areas of communication.
CRM, ABAP, GAAP, MoMA, OSHA
In business, employees use a set of acceptable acronyms instead of certain words to communicate with their colleagues and their audience. They even have an acronym finder online to help one understand the latest terminology! The ability for one to grasp new terms is important to comprehend, communicate, and keep on top of new business trends and product enhancements. Who determines this acceptable language of acronyms? Is it a group of high-level executives that make these terms formally accepted by employees and later funnels down to the marketing collateral and communications?
A New Language
In today’s society, we are obsessed with expressing our point-of-view with one stroke of a button limited to 140 characters. Some people write condensed statements such as ‘u’ instead of writing ‘you’. In some cases, people have focused too much on their Facebook status/Twitter updates that they have neglected other forms of communication using proper structure and complete sentences.
Twitter Gibber
At one time, tweets such as “RT @kerisays, Twitter worth $3.7 billion http://tcrn.ch/hizxcZ! Twitter birds will flock, talk and tweet tonight at Boston’s #MegaTweetUp. See you there,” didn’t have much meaning to most. Today, it’s a common use of symbols and words understood by followers. The frequent use of email, text, Twitter, and Facebook updates have caused people to accept this new form of speech for everyday conversations. The introduction of Twitter created a new language and set of rules, as well as new businesses that have sprung up for people to tweet, ReTweet, post, and abbreviate their conversations.
Although it’s sometimes hard to define all these digital words and abbreviations as they’re constantly changing, it’s also interesting to learn how people seek new ways to be accepted by others, connect and communicate.
I hope in the near future we don’t start saying “@Command = Hi, how are you?, @Command = Good, how are you?”
Don’t forget the human element and BE REAL. Remember when writing to someone, or speaking with your audience to connect through meaningful and memorable statements. Don’t just follow what seems to be the trend and believe it will help you to attract others. Adopting new styles of communication is fine in the right context, but we should not promote the poor usage of the English language with abbreviations and “tech talk” in other ways when corresponding with people.
