elt.ccsenet.org English Language Teaching Vol. 13, No. 7; 2020
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3. Technology Distractions
Although a recent literature review concluded that technology promotes students creativity and improves language
learning skills (Ahmadi, 2018), The Internet facilitates short and frequent communications through restricted
tweets and posts. It is also plausible that the incessant flow of digital information has rendered Internet users (users,
hereafter) to be attention deficient. The Internet then capitalizes on the short attention spans and provide social
media platforms that evoke technology addiction.
Born in the age of technology, the net-generation is particularly proficient in engaging with virtual peers through
quick social media exchanges to develop a sense of belonging and combat the fear of missing out on popular
activities. For example, the net-generation adeptly multi-tasks digital activities (Bromley, 2010) such as checking
social media, browsing websites, reading emails, sending instant messaging, listening to music, and viewing ads,
all while also managing their school work. This constant incoming information is not conducive to learning and
staying focused on the school task. In a research study, students admitted to multi-tasking their school work with
other online activities and reported that online activities distracted them from concentrating on academic tasks,
which sometimes resulted in incomplete assignments (Adams, 2007). Therefore, the lure to engage in online
activities leaves students struggling and hinders their academic success. Furthermore, students report feeling less
inspired to use Standard English (Strain-Moritz, 2016), which could explain their low commitment to perfection
and grammar.
4. Social Media and Text-Speak
Social communication, generally, enables us to put our thoughts into words, use words to develop bonds, deliver
important information, learn from our experiences, and continue to build on work done by others (Shariatmadari,
2019). Social media has revolutionized social interactions and offers an unrestricted access to people across the
globe. Social media clicks allow quick interactions through popular features such as tags, likes, retweets, and
reposts. This ease of sharing makes digital social communications infinite. Social media has also created the need
for a short-term dialect (Akbarov & Tankosić, 2016), which is interchangeably called Textese, Digi-talk,
Text-speak, Tech-speak, and Internet slang (Akbarov & Tankosić, 2016; Cingel & Sundar, 2012; Drouin & Davis,
2009). In both, private and public online interactions, Text speak is the main mode of public and private
communication of the net-generation (Moyle, 2010). To the fury of teachers and parents, Text-speak reads like a
short spurt of truncated content rife with incomplete sentences, mis-spelled words, and emojis (symbols that
mostly convey a feeling).
Text speak is rooted in Standard language, but it emulates the colloquial spoken language (French, 2018).
Acronyms and simplistic spellings are used in Text-speak to facilitate efficient typing on mobile devices.
Essentially, to partake in brief interactions and show their online presence, the net generation has modified
standard English words (i.e., word adaptation) using abbreviations (e.g., brb for be right back), omitted
non-essential alphabets (i.e., wud for would), substituted homo-phones (gr8 for great), and de-emphasized
appropriate punctuation and capitalization causing structural adaptations to the English language (Cingel, &
Sundar, 2012). For more examples of Text-speak words, please see Table 1. Text-speak could also be deemed as
an effort by teens to codify (youth code; French, 2018) communications to protect them from unintended recipients
(parents; Akbarov & Tankosić, 2016). Moreover, Text-speak could also be considered a manifestation of rebellion
against language rules (Akbarov & Tankosić, 2016).
The word adaptations seen in Text-speak spill into daily English language use. Not surprisingly, routinely using
textual adaptations may give off an impression of normalcy and acceptance, which makes it difficult to learn
standard English (Cingel & Sundar, 2012). Standard English refers to the correct use of vocabulary and grammar
in communications (Baker, 2014). It is also the form of language that is accepted in government offices, academia,
and in other formal contexts (Birner, 1991). Text-speak tramples upon Standard English rules and presents a
challenge to academicians and parents. Educators are concerned that abbreviated content rampant with misspelled
words and grammatically incorrect sentences are creeping into students assignments, which blurs the distinction
between formal and informal writing (Strain-Moritz, 2016). Results from a study showed that there is an inverse
relationship between texting and professionally written communication and reading accuracy in a sample of
college students (Drouin, 2011). In this day and age, grammar and language are both collapsing (Sonn, 2006);
users are increasingly turning away from reading and writing in Standard English. Basically, conventional writing,
that once required the proper use of Standard grammatical rules, has apparently fallen into an abyss. Table 1. lists
some of the example of Text-speak words.