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With the internet taking over our lives, we find ourselves increasingly glued to social media sites and instant messaging apps. Right from the time we wake up until we hit the sack, we are constantly connected to the world around us through a mere device we call a ‘mobile phone’.
It has become more convenient to communicate through messages as they are free of cost. However, with instant messaging comes a drawback — the constant use of SMS language that ruins communication. Moreover, chat apps introduce people to the world of emoticons, smileys and images, which makes it worse. So, are ‘textese’ and emoticons ruining the warmth and emotions of a conversation?
The lost language
Jude Jacob, a final-year MBA student, says, “SMS language is definitely ruining the essence of our daily conversations. People have started talking to each other in sign language and often text using abbreviations. If this continues, people might start forgetting the spoken language and lose out on their communication skills.”
Hooked to keys
Praneeth Poonacha, a second-year student of St Joseph’s College of Business Administration, says, “SMS language can prove to be a communication barrier between two people.
It is mostly youngsters who pick up this style, from various sources, like the songs they listen to or their peers. It starts gradually and becomes a habit later. They think that it is cool to use such language but what they don’t understand is that it is making their
attempts at communication ineffective.”
Taking a ‘troll’
Ashwini Agrawal, a second-year student of St Joseph’s College of Business Administration, says, “SMS language came about because of the need to communicate messages in a short span of time. But soon, the trend caught on and now, we tend to use short forms for each and every word. It is shocking to see how students have started using SMS language even in exam papers. This is inappropriate and sometimes, becomes annoying for the evaluators. I personally feel that rather than texting, we should call the person, and limit using SMS language as much as possible.”
Missing letters
Arash, a student of St Joseph’s College of Business Administration, says, “Instant messages are killing the language. People use short forms for every word they type. In this process, people are forgetting their grammar and spellings. This, in the long run, can have an adverse impact on one’s language and communication skills. Though it seems easy, what we have to understand is that such conversations lack emotions.”
Senseless banter
Saba Asad, from St Joseph’s College, says, “One should not make it a habit as SMS language can get confusing. Generally, we find people dropping vowels and punctuations while texting. Now, one even finds several spellings for the same word, which makes no sense. We ignore the fact that the receiver might take almost a minute to understand what is being said.”