I'm a Celebrity,Twitter and Blog Generation to Change Face of Writing Forever?
Posted: Tuesday, November 10, 2009
by Julian Price
http://www.uk-freelance-content-writer.co.uk/
It seems one of the world's most ancient art forms and a staple human communication method may soon, be no more (or at the very least, a pale imitation of its former self). The mobile phone and its text messaging struck a significant blow, and the internet's common blog (as opposed to its "lesser spotted" well written cousin) plunged the knife deeply into the heart. Will twitter be responsible for the final twist and death of "writing" as we once knew it?
This group of people may be your friends, both flesh and cyber or even perhaps celebrities and organisations. There may be just one friend you wish to tweet or there could be hundreds of thousands of people tuning in to what is essentially your micro diary.
Why could this spell trouble for the art of writing as it was once known? The gimmick behind twitter is that each of your messages must be composed of no more than one hundred and forty characters, including spaces! That's it! Your entire thought, tip or promotion must not exceed this limit. Text messages can appear "novel like" by comparison, despite committing atrocities themselves against the English language, for example, " CU L8R" which looks more like a motor vehicle licence plate than anything else.
We live in a society that has no time, is always on the move and which grasps every opportunity for a short cut or a quick fix. There is no doubting that all of these new fangled devices and applications all serve a purpose of sorts, but what of the youngsters who are introduced to computer technology from a very early age? Of course, they have need to be computer literate more than any other generation before them, as the world hurtles ever onward towards full computer control, but what happens when the machines fail? And there will certainly be times when they do.
It is becoming more and more common for young people to be unable to spell even some of the most basic words. Once they have passed the age where basic spelling tests are still conducted, they are permitted to do much of their academic work with the aid of a computer and of course the infamous "spell checkers". Problematic spelling and illiteracy often goes unnoticed as the spell checkers camouflage a multitude of sins (although they sometimes create some of their own).
Perhaps we will eventually see a complete evolution of our beloved language as misspelled words become recognised as the new correct spelling. Perhaps their shortened versions as seen in text messages will become standard versions. Modern dictionaries may become simply abbreviated versions of their former selves and all sentences will need to be constructed and completed in one hundred and forty characters or less. A degree in English may become obsolete and replaced by a BT! (Bachelor of Twittering)
With the advent of blogging, the whole world and its dog suddenly thought they were professional writers and boldly claimed and dominated their own little portion of cyberspace. People expressing themselves through the power of words are of course to be encouraged. However, in an age of reality TV, much loved shows like, " I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here", "X Factor" and "American Idol" have become the norm, and those who think they can sing (though often can't) are encouraged by friends and family to continue, but they eventually go on to be humiliated and ridiculed in front of millions of viewers. The same reasoning can be applied to multitudes of popular blogs found on the internet where many of them are a mass of incomprehensible gibberish and badly spelled slang.
Will education eventually wimp out altogether and begin teaching writing methods that the students are familiar with from their recreational lives? Will there come a day when classical literature will simply be remembered as "that weird stuff they used to read"?
Those who love and embrace the English language and the writing and expressing of its contents must cling to the hope that either the internet will permanently break down one day (perhaps more of a pipe dream) or that they spread their love of words far and wide enough for it never to fade and die. The only remaining problem then, is that that message is far too long to fit into one of twitter's tweets!
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Top-level comments on this article: (5 total)Truly the art of communicating has been consistently eroded over the past several years. Very well spoken thoughts!Thanks John, for spending a moment to read and comment. Glad I am not the only one with these thoughts! Julian
Hi Julian this was very well put together and mind blowing information you have provided here. I have learned a lot from what you have writt - OOPS it looks like I am at the end of my tweet. Thanks for sharingKeep wellKacyThanks for your comment Kacy, very witty indeed! Proves you read it too! lol Thanks again, Julian
Your words are well taken. We are in a age where those who are writing are often little less than qualified. I am academic and am appalled at the level of writing that some undergraduate students, in their fourth year have exhibited. It is sometimes shameful.Often there is no love for the written word, and this doesn't all come from lack of training in appropriate writing style. I am one of those who cannot tell you what a verb or a noun really is without looking it up. However, I can piece together a sentence artistically in my mind and type it accordingly.Those who consistently read poetic and beautiful text enjoy it. They need no training to mimic it, for they have spent most of their lives practicing through observation and enjoyment.There are also those who read philosophy and actually take the time to ponder a thought beyond their most basic and immediate reaction. Those are the ones who often leave writing in the dust. The written word is intimately connected to advanced and deep thought. It is our only true means of expressing complex ideas and concepts. Those who don't ponder complex ideas and concepts struggle to express anything near it with garbled, jumbled and random bits of 3 letter descriptive vocal spasms.It's a shame, but look at it this way. Those who write, and write well have the advantage over others. This skill can be used to secure a job, win an argument, or sell books! In an age where everything is written, and everything is searchable, quality writing is what is missing and desperately needed. Use your skills and hone your style to make yourself a powerhouse. Don't fret among the masses who want 2 b ur frnd on FB or twitter. Keep to your style, take your time. Enjoy writing and enjoy the process.In India, they believe that Sanskrit when written and spoken properly (it's very mathematical thanks to Panini, the Sanskrit Grammarian) actually influences physically, that which is being read or spoken about. It even effects concepts and emotions, which many romantic novels readers will agree it can indeed!Hi Geilt, thanks so much for your in depth thoughts regarding this article. Your points are valid additions to the article itself. I think your second paragraph regarding the "love for the written word", is most likely the area where it is all breaking down. Not enough respect for the words and sentence structures themselves, but again this may be down to laziness or the hurried nature of modern life, hence the twitter generation. Thanks again, Julian
Twitter will never be able to take over the art form of writing. While the internet provides an outlet for everybody on Earth to have their fifteen seconds of fame; it will never replace the true art form of writing.Thanks for your comment Kurt, only time will tell! Julian
I've been on Twitter for a year now, and have written 3 apps which interfaces with the back-end API. Just recently I felt like Twitter has become an important part of my routine... not from my tweets, but because I'm now following the tweets from many people for whom I have a great deal of respect.As someone who reads the daily local newspaper constantly, I now have an idea of what is going to replace it. Of course it's not a matter of the stories that I find important fitting within tweets, but rather the tweets are the headlines, linking to the stories that I want to read.Hi Bruce, thanks for the time taken to read and comment...an honour indeed! I see your points and was really only going for an "angle". Is that journalism speak or what? lol
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