Texting in the 21st century has brought about many shortcuts in our communication with others in order to save time, type faster, and of course, for the sake of being lazy. However, I cannot emphasize the significance of typing the full word out in writing to other people, even if it is your best friend. These habits can carry over to important conversations that might risk your opportunity to thrive in the real world. Is text messaging ultimately ruining English?
Sayings such as: OMG, LOL, BRB, SMH, and WTH are commonly used in everyday texting. Young people are increasingly prone to texting and shy away from making calls, which is a more direct but less permanent form of communication.
Ironically, the speed at which instant messaging or texting takes place means that mistakes and shorthands are common, but we often let each other get away with them because we know what they mean.
Texting is also developing its own kind of grammar.
Take LOL, for example. It doesn’t actually mean “laughing out loud” in a literal sense anymore. LOL has evolved into something much subtler and sophisticated, and is used even when nothing is remotely amusing. Did you actually laugh? Probably not. Maybe you did? It depends what the conversation is, but most of the time it's a space filler. It eases tension and creates a sense of equality. Instead of having a literal meaning, it conveys an attitude.
Writing "lyke dis" reduces the need for in depth conversations, and distracts us from being fully present around other people. It would take more time to write out words in their no-longer-natural form than to spell them correctly anyways.
All in all, a few shortcuts here and there are okay. If used too much, too often, though, it'll become a habit of not being able to communicate with others outside of the texting world. Practicing outside of the classroom on technology will help you in the end if you're taking an English class as well.