Language in the Digital Age

Photo by Drago Sisters Bakery/ Emoji cupcakes

Language, is the method of communication, where  it can be either spoken or written. In our world of the digital age, we are finding more and more of language expressed through the art of text messaging and communication through social media.  For this blog assignment, the readings and research were on how this has changed over the years and the increased use of emojis.

One of the assignments was watching a Ted Talk video with Carmen Lee on “Should We Worry about out Language in the Digital Age.” I found this Ted Talk to be so interesting to hear Lee opinions on language and how people in society use language to communicate. She discussed the topic of texting and the how young people abbreviate words in communication. She said that this is not  a new issue, as words OMG had been used back in 1917 by J.A. Fisher in a statement, ” I hear that a new order of knighthood is on the tapis- O.M.G.” Which I found this interesting to learn that abbreviated words were already in use then as they are today. She pointed out that abbreviated words were used then as still today in many forms such as: advertisements, post-it notes and poems. The point to remember in using these shortened words is to use them in the right context and to be appropriate with their usage.

One article that I found fun and interesting to read on where the use of emojis. I was excited to read this article, “Why emojis may be the best thing to happen to language in the digital age,” by William Cummings. Just even after reading the title, I instantly thought of my favorite emoji, the smiley face. 🙂 Cummings states in this article, that emojis are providing people a way to express themselves as they text. He made a good point that when we send or receive a text message, at times, it could be hard to determine correct tone of the message. That is the one down side of texting, we miss out on the face to face communication between friends, and miss out on the facial expressions and the reading of people while we communicate. Cummings commented that with the use of emojis it puts the body language back into the communication so we can better read the emotional intent of the message.

The use of language, via through texting or the use of emojis I think will continue on for many years to come. It’s a fascinating form of communication, that I think people will use as it is a shorten way to communicate, that allows for even a quick conversation. How happy do you get when you see a smiley on the end of a text message! I know it makes my day!