I’ve had enough. The next person that blames Poor Grammar and Writing abilities on Twitter, Facebook or Texting, gets it. I don’t know what it is yet, but they will get it.
Why? Well, beyond being a ludicrous argument, generally used to sell a story or get readers, it’s also not true. This story by Susanna Kelley “Students failing because of Twitter, Texting “ is the one that finally got my goat.
In it she writes,
“Little or no grammar teaching, cellphone texting, social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, all are being blamed for an increasingly unacceptable number of post-secondary students who can’t write properly.”
The 2 Biggest Problems with Blaming Poor Writing and Grammar on Social Networks and Texting
It’s not Twitter’s Fault
The editor chose an unfortunate title for her piece, she clearly blames the failing grammar abilities on Twitter and Texting in the title, but barely mentions them in the actual article . In fact twitter is referred to only once. Instead, she quotes a few current professors who blame the lack of basic grammar and English skills on the lack of grammar and english education.
“We haven’t taught grammar for 30-40 years…(and it) hasn’t worked.” – Paul Budra, an English professor and associate dean of arts and science at Simon Fraser.
So it’s not Twitter and Texting that’s causing this grammatical-suckage? Well good, because I would have had to totally disagree with you.
We write more today than ever before
We write more today, than we ever have before, in the form of instant messages, social networks, email and text messages. In fact we write so much that we’ve been able to develop two completely different styles. Let’s call one Professional and the other Colloquial.
Professional Writing Skills
We are taught (maybe not well enough) how to write professionally. It’s our school essays and term papers, in class assignments and science labs. We’re shown a formula, asked to repeat it with some degree of uniqueness, use spell check, watch out for run on’s and keep those sentences complete.
We have varied skill levels (just like students before us)
“There’s a notion of a golden age in the past that students were wonderful, unlike now. I’m not sure that golden age ever existed,” -James Turk of the Association of University Teachers
Colloquial Writing Skillz
When we surf the net, we rock our Colloquial writing skills. They are what allows us to keep in touch with a ridiculously large network of friends and contacts (many of whom might be in different cities or countries) We use little short cuts like ” Txt Me Later. Luv U!” or “Cuz I don’t want to watch ANTM) Such short form phrasing is part of our colloquial vocabulary, and proves very useful. ( have you ever tried to spell “America’s Next Top Model” on an iPhone, it’s ridiculous)
We use our colloquial vocabulary to show emotion, personality and humor in a medium that restricts subtly and makes a bastard out of Sarcasm. Smiley faces and emoticons fill that need and yes they too deserve to exist. Have you ever tried a sarcastic joke or comment online without a 
or 
.
I have, and it’s not pretty.
There is a story here though. We’re not educating kids on grammar enough. I agree with that, and will tack on a few more areas that our education system is lacking ( physical education, creative development, emotional intelligence to name a few) , but those are a failing of our institutions not communications tools.
The way we communicate, be it written or verbal, is changing, as it always has. That does not mean a professional tone or prose will disappear.
Sure, we still have to teach kids the difference between the two types, but have some faith. You and I made it this far didn’t we?
Focus on Hope vs Fear
Regardless, I look forward to the day where we say goodbye to headlines that play on baby boomer fears of failure for their kids or the end of the world as we know it.
Instead, why not search for a story that highlights the many ways students are turning their writing abilities into huge opportunities to make a difference or to build attention, raise money or start dialogue.
I have a few ideas if you’re interested. (We can even blame twitter texting and social networks for their success!)
Email me if you would like suggestions! jsloss (at) gmail (dot) com
Give Susanna feedback, find her on twitter
I would like to thank Spell Check for it’s help in writing this post. With out you I would be lost my friend.
Photo Cred: amboo who?
