Response to the Trendspotter's Guide to New Communications: Rise of English

My first TP's Guide response is about the death of distance. Here is another aspect presented in the guide, the rise of English. I agree with apprehension on this aspect because I see some reasons today that prove this aspect false. Read on to know what I mean.

 Ignorance Isn't Always Bliss 

My cell phone rings and I can't help but grab it quickly, opening the message. I open it and squint at the words I can't comprehend.

eOw pOwhszz. kAhmuStah nAh pOwhsszz kEu? jEjEJe. :)

I throw my phone to the bed, frowning at the memory of the creepy text message. People who text in a strange manner are called Jejemons. They are one of the most popular group of teenagers today, I must say. They are also known globally, thanks to their many haters whose primary goal was to annihilate them but otherwise failed. 

 

I have nothing against the Jejemons. They have the right to express themselves in any way, manner and sense they want. It is, anyway, the right of any human being to act in anyway he/she wants, provided that the act doesn't hurt or offend anyone.

But the main point here is that while technology is helping us communicate easier and faster, it may also be the primary factor in the deteriorating grammar, spelling and thinking abilities of the youth today. Ignorance is one culprit produced by the ever-improving technology. We become unaware of our actions. Because the technology is fast rising, we are no longer conscious of what words we are saying, how we are pronouncing them and how we are spelling them. We tend to just type in anything in the keyboard; what we give importance to is basically just sending the message across. This must not be the case.

Take for example the common scenario in telecommunication now. Shortcuts are used in text messages by almost everyone I know. My professor even tells our class that he uses shortcuts when texting. But just imagine my shock when he further tells us that because of this frequent shorctut-texting style, he oftentimes finds himself writing in shortcuts! He even admits that he sometimes forgets the spelling of some words he knew the spelling to back then! Wow oh wow. If things like these happen to a professional like him, what more to students and teenagers like us?

This is not an issue to be taken for granted. This might appear as a joke to the older generation but it is a serious case to be given attention to. Imagine what would happen if the youth become incompetent learners in the field  they were once the masters of. If that would be the case, education would gradually lose its essence. There is no point in studying if the learning process is pointless and useless. Ignorance is not always bliss.