Negative And Positive Effects Of Text Messaging On Literacy

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“Text messaging, or texting, is the act of typing and sending a brief, electronic message between two or more mobile phones or fixed or portable devices over a phone network. The term originally referred to messages sent using the Short Message Service or SMS; it has grown to include messages containing image, video, and sound content, known as MMS messages. The sender of a text message is known as a texter, while the service itself has different colloquialisms depending on the region.” It is simply referred to as a text here in the Philippines.

People, young and old, use informal language or cyber slang in texting. Cyber slang or textisms is a term used to describe shortcuts which can be considered misspelled words, substitute words, or even images used to pass on ideas in an electronic archive. They tend not to mind whether their spellings are correct or not. “So in terms of normativity, text messages and instant messages often do not adhere to the standardized norms of correct spelling, grammar and punctuation. What seems to matter most is efficiency: getting one’s message across as rapidly, succinctly and effectively as possible, irrespective of standard language rules that are violated along the way” (Verheijen 435).

This way of communication can lead to different effects especially on literacy. Negative and positive effects of text messaging on literacy particularly in formal writing are being seen from several existing researches. In some of the researches,

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