OMG! Is Text Messaging Just for Teenagers?

Before the dawn of telephony, the written word was revered and treasured. For those physically distanced, it was the most reliable form of communication (i.e. the best network: can you write me know? How about now?). Each word was carefully chosen and inked to paper with precision and a personal touch. Then in the late 1800s Alexander Graham Bell invented what would become the telephone. It was a slow transition, but soon it became more practical to call over telephone lines and get an immediate response. No need to write it down. No need to wait for the mail carrier. But now, technology has brought us the dawn of a new age.

The written word is back. E-mails started the retrospective action. Then instant messaging emerged along with chat rooms and blogs. Finally, the computer was no longer needed as text messaging was brought to the phone. All of those who longed for the day that the written word would carry value once again can finally be satisfied. Oh, BTW, there are a few changes. You don’t know about them? AYSOS? SICNR! :-) Don’t worry if you don’t understand that. We’ll get to it later.

Abbreviated Messaging
While e-mails have traditionally taken the form of casual electronic verbiage, the introduction of instant messaging (IM) gave way to those seeking more immediate gratification. The most popular of these services is Windows Live Messenger (formerly MSN Messenger), but Yahoo! Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger are also used frequently. They involve downloading software onto your PC that is typically activated each time you boot up. You maintain a list of “buddies” with whom you correspond. If one of them wishes to "chat", they type in a short message and click “send.” The message immediately appears on your PC. You can have a rapid back-and-forth conversation. The desire to benefit from the quickness gave rise to abbreviated text, a sort of online shorthand. Soon cell phones brought us Short Message Services (SMS) that have IM-like capabilities but with a maximum of 160 characters. This further awarded a reduction in keystrokes. Many abbreviations were acronyms of typical sayings, but there are many variations. You can find many of these text messaging abbreviations on www.webopedia.com/quick_ref, but here is a sampling so you get an idea what it's about:

AYSOS.......... Are you stupid or something
B4N.......... Bye for now
BRB.......... Be right back
CTRN.......... Can't talk right now
G2G.......... Got to go
JK.......... Just kidding
KPC.......... Keeping parents clueless (interesting, huh?)
LOL.......... Laughing out loud
OMG.......... Oh my God
ROFL.......... Rolling on floor laughing
SICNR.......... Sorry I could not resist
SYS.......... See you soon

Here are another ten items that are not on any list of popular texting terms, but don’t be too surprised if you see them:

TJCMATC.......... This just cost me another ten cents
WTATQN4.......... What’s the answer to question number 4?
NMITTTJSM.......... Never mind, I think the teacher just saw me
DIAISMT.......... Dude, I am in sooo much trouble
PISSS.......... Parting is such sweet sorrow
WWTYAB.......... What wind through yonder air breaks (i.e. I just passed gas)
LNIMTBTWSC.......... Last night I met this boy that was sooo cute
PDUTMATATL.......... Please don’t use text messaging acronyms that are too long
W.......... We need to get together sometime next week when you’re not busy
F.......... For sure, it’s like you read my mind or something

Lastly, texting truly has no boundaries. You may be flirting with redneck status, however, if you use any of these during a text message:

BARD.......... Borrowed
FARN.......... Foreign
F2BT.......... Fit to be tied (i.e. very angry)
FIXIN.......... Preparing to
IAGNDOTH.......... I ain’t got no dogs on this hunt (i.e. its none of my business)
IDCWYATFRT.......... I don’t care who you are, that’s funny right there
JAMAICAN.......... You are making…
UL.......... Motor Oil
YONDER.......... Over there, somewhere typically within sight
YUN2.......... Do you want to…?

If you think these new textual forms of communication are not for you, think again. The profound impact of e-mail is well understood, but we should take heed of those alternate methods. Businesses have adopted instant messaging as a means for remote teams to talk cheaply, quickly and precisely. Chat rooms have not only provided social interaction, but a quick way to exchange information on just about any subject. Blogs (short for "web logs") represent a convenient way to display news or personal thoughts through reverse-chronological entries. Blogging has rapidly grown in popularity and now includes famous bloggers such as Anna Kournikova (tennis player), RuPaul (musician), and Jeff Bridges (actor). These alternate methods of online chatting are invading the world around us.

Smiley Faces
One of the potential pitfalls of online text conversations is that words alone often cannot correctly communicate the tone or mood. Enter the “smiley.” A version of a smiley face (a.k.a. an emoticon) can give a quick, visual indication of a person’s voice change or facial expression during texting. Here’s how it works: when a joking remark such as AYSOS (are you stupid or something) is made, the sender may include a happy face to indicate light heartedness. This helps the reader to understand intent and meaning. These smileys are created with simple keyboard characters and visually show a face on its side. The simple smiley face is done with a colon and closed parenthesis :) or by adding a dash for a nose :-). A variety of letters and punctuation marks can give the look of a wide variety of facial expressions. Some programs, including AIM and Microsoft Word, may recognize the smileys and automatically convert the text into a small graphical smiley. Here is a sampling of emoticons below.

:-) .......... smile or happy
o:-) .......... angel (smile with halo)
:-( .......... sad or frown

:-# .......... with braces
{:-) .......... with toupee
8-) .......... with sunglasses
;-) .......... winking
:-D .......... laughter or wide smile
:-o .......... surprise
:-x .......... kiss

More Texting Possibilities

For those wishing to chat with more than one person, a community called Twitter can deliver updates to a network of friends. It makes it easier to let everyone know about that itch on your foot - or just ask, "wassup?" It can make friends near or far feel close. It can even be used to make new friends through its established community. You can chat by using a phone's SMS, message entry from the Twitter site, or an instant message from AOL Instant Messenger (or other supported IM program). It takes texting to the next level.

In addition to communication with known individuals, SMS can be used to gain quick access to information on-demand through resources such as Google’s new SMS service. This service uses an abbreviated search query message that is sent to address 466453 (‘GOOGLE’ on most devices). Examples of information that may be accessed include business listings, weather, flight information, sports scores, movie times, and stock quotes. For example, if you want to find out what sushi bars are in Beverly Hills, simply send the text “sushi 90210” to 466453. Something similar to the following will appear on your cell phone:

Local Listings:
Sushi Dokoro Ki Ra La
9777 Santa Monica Blvd
Beverly Hills, 90210
310-275-9003

For more details, you can visit Google.com/sms. While the Google service is free, all standard text messaging charges will apply. See store for details. Side effects are rare and may include drowsiness and bloody nose. If your erection lasts more than four hours, contact us and we'll submit your name for the regional semi-finals.

So do you still think text messaging is just for teenagers? It has become more than a fad and has transgressed social and age boundaries. Since it has been popularized far beyond the early adopters, it has become important for each of us to begin to understand the language that supports it. It may not be literature, but it may end up being the most significant change in communication since the rotary dial telephone. B4N. ;-)