Journal Post #1

The question brought up in this journal post is one that has been argued for a very long time. At one point, I would've argued that, yes, writing is revolutionarily different now than it was twenty to thirty years ago. With emojis and text lingo, it's true that new styles of writing have emerged and someone not completely up to date with the current technology may not know or understand their younger counterparts when they call one another, "Bae," or sigh an unamused, "FML," as they realize they forgot to do a homework assignment the night before.

However, the creation of new slang and forms of short form communication/writing is nothing the technologically savvy can take credit for. Writing is a constantly evolving process and while I think to us the new versions seem like they're barrier breaking and crazy new, I believe it's really just the current look of writing's constantly evolving form. Writing has had all sorts of forms from simplistic symbols to Morse Code, so adding acronyms to the list doesn't seem that bizarre.

I will admit that I think writing used to be more personal than it is now. Before computers and digital writing, you could only write by hand and handwriting adds a flare that a funky font can't. However, the personal style of writing carries over to typed work. Someone's diction, their sentence structure, and the way they formulate their ideas can all remain the same. It's also true that writing used to be much more exclusive than it is today. Now, anyone can write about everything, but the purpose is very much the same: to communicate. There are just more people communicating.

When technology began its boom and we began to use it as a tool for writing, I don't think anyone could've predicted what has happened today. Writing and language are both changing so rapidly that a lot of people-- including myself-- can barely keep up. But, I don't think this is the end just as much as I don't think this was the beginning. Since its inception, writing has always been changing and it will continue to change. Sometime in the distant future, I wouldn't be surprised to find emojis outdated and some new form has taken its place. Frankly, I'd be concerned if it didn't.