Texting etiquette. There is a grace and an art to texting. After reading too many grammatical, spelling, and social errors, I definitely feel like I need to share with the world the texting knowledge that I have acquired. Every pre-teen should be forced to attend a texting cotillion and graduate only when they can pass an extremely rigorous grammar and emoji usage test. I'm tired of these classic mistakes:
1. The fact that people can't find the time to end their texts with a period.
It's the end of your d*mn text; can you manage to find the time to end your thought? That's actually what the period was designed for: To end your thought. In fact, if you have an iPhone, which I'm sure many of you do, Apple has actually made it even easier to add a period. All you have to do is double click the space bar. Just two extra clicks.
2. The fact that people who send, "I'm finished talking to you" and then keep talking.
Stand by your statement. If you say you're finished talking to a person, you should not respond again. You appear stronger and more mature when you stand by your word and you take the power to end the conversation when you want to.
3. The over-usage of emojis to describe your feelings
Guess what. We have words. We created actual words so that we can communicate with one another in an effective way. Rather than repetitive use of animated faces, we can actually say it. Don't get me wrong, I love the occasional upside down smiley or crying face, but they should only be used to emphasize what you want to say.
4. Spelling mistakes. No. Just. No.
We have so many resources to check our spelling and the definitions of words. The opportunities available to every pre-teen, teenager, and 20-year-old are abundant, and they can look up the definition of any word they want. There is no reason to misspell a word or misunderstand a word in the context you're using it in. Then, even if you're a little unsure about the word you're using, we have an entire dictionary full of amazing options. The world of words wants to welcome you in.
Special shoutout to those of you who still haven't figured out the difference between definitely and defiantly!
5. Acknowledge that you have your "read receipts" on.
I respect you whether or not you keep them turned on, but realize the consequences of both situations. If they're on, you're obligated to respond as soon as you open up that message. If they're off, accept that people will be perpetually confused as to when you may respond and they might get slightly passive-aggressive if you don't respond after 15 hours. We all know that you've looked at and read the text. This is the generation of people who, statistically, unlock their phones 110 times every day.
Don't be an idiot. Don't make everyone in your contacts cringe at your texting abilities. Follow this generation's unwritten rules of texting and we can all be happy.
