Sound Off: Keep the Internet on the Internet

The Internet in all its wisdom and power has connected people from all over the world and has created the beautiful concept of globalization. Finally, full thoughts and ideas can be shared across the globe in a matter of minutes. Who has time for that though? Thus the distinguished language of Internet slang is born.

Most people have Facebook, Twitter and MSN so we have all experienced, or are guilty of, Internet slang. Short, concise and almost illegible, this new language is a result of the lazy teenage way of life. Reducing our time spent typing and texting is fine by me, but do you think it’s appropriate to use Internet slang in speech? When I hear people talking in “Internet lingo” throughout the hallways and classrooms it drives me crazy.

The point of shortening certain words and phrases is to avoid lengthy typing, but some especially lazy people are using these phrases when speaking to people face-to-face. When I’m at school I hear people saying, “Oh em gee!" This reduction doesn’t make any sense because it’s neither shorter in length nor in syllables than the original phrase, “Oh my god!”

Another Internet phrase that is making its way into the real world is “LOL.” To “laugh out loud” over the Internet implies that you are in fact laughing out loud at your computer desk at home. When you are speaking to someone face-toface, some people find it necessary to say “LOL” or “el oh el” instead of actually laughing. Not only is this annoying to listen to, but it also takes any emotion or feeling out of the conversation.

Currently, the world is revolving around speed and efficiency, constantly improving technology and shortening words. My question is: how are we going to shorten communication further? What’s the next step for us? I predict that we will go through a form of de-evolution, resorting to a series of grunts and gestures. Grunts and gestures, now how do you think you would spell that?