The internet is probably the greatest revolution in the way people communicate today. It has introduced a new generation of words, phrases, and even ways of writing. As students, it is important to have an insight into this evolution. No matter if you are using it to share posts, commenting, or writing essays. It is necessary to understand the effect of the Internet language. Indeed, for students who are struggling to complete too many assignments, it may be useful to buy a capstone project to coordinate their schedule better.
The birth of internet slang
Some of the reasons why we needed fast and efficient communication where in the early days of internet. This led to the creation of internet slang. It’s a particular set of abbreviations and acronyms that are coined with the purpose of saving time and making the chat more casual and fun. Nowadays, the usage of acronyms has been intensified. Many people even use them in their daily conversations on the internet such as, LOL (laugh out loud), BRB (be right back), OMG (oh my God).
Twitter and even Facebook also contributed to the emergence of internet slang terms. There are restrictions on the number of characters that can be used and the work setting was very busy. So, these abbreviations were used as a way of enhancing communication. Emoticons too found their way into the modern language, as they offered people a graphic way to convey feelings and thoughts in the shortest time possible.
Memes and virality: New forms of new forms of expression
Memes are a popular feature of Internet discourse as they can be used for entertainment, as well as for making statements and even satire. A meme may be a picture, video or textual content imitated and passed around the internet by users, with the use of other content that the user may understand by practicing cultural knowledge. Memes can be entertaining, for one to use in passing a message, to be updated with the latest trends.
Another important concept in internet language is virality. It describes the process when information disseminates from one individual to others as fast as possible. Viral content may contain phrases that are appealing to the mass. It also has topics that are familiar to a large number, or may use jokes. In the context of the study of memes, it is not only useful for students to gain knowledge about the nature of information dissemination in the contemporary society and the peculiarities of its members’ behavior in social networks.
The role of social media
Various social media platforms have their own language and culture, which defines how people communicate through the media. For example, Twitter has a specific limit of characters, therefore it is rather brief and people prefer to be funny. Hashtags enable users to relate their tweets to a bigger discussion that is already taking place. Instagram is a visually oriented platform. So, it employs short descriptions, hashtags, and stories to interact with the audience. At the same time, the TikTok app that is based on a video format has become the source of slangs and trends.
All of them play a role in shaping how we use the internet to communicate. LinkedIn is a professional network. It sets a different, more serious, and business-oriented language compared to the Instagram. Understanding these differences will assist you in adapting to the respective platforms and the target market. When it comes to social media and as students, knowing the differences in language usage of the various platforms can prove beneficial in creating a positive image and rapport online.
The effects on writing
Even though the Internet language is free and also relatively uncontrolled, the academic language is still rigid and controlled. However, skills acquired from dealing with internet language are useful when it comes to academic writing. One of the key benefits of using the format of 280 characters or fewer is the ability to write concise summaries, which in turn helps when writing essays.
At the same time, the internet is based on cooperation. This helps to develop research and information search skills. Open forums, discussion boards, and online libraries are useful resources that can help you with your academic tasks. The ability to switch from the rather free and relaxed language of the internet to the highly structured and regulated language of the academic work is a skill. You will need to learn in order to achieve success in your academic endeavor.
The changing language landscape and its impact
The language used on the internet is not constant and is in a constant state of change. There are always new words, acronyms, and phenomena appearing in the society due to the changing culture and new technologies. It is important to stay abreast with these changes in order to be better placed to communicate effectively.
One way that can be employed in order to stay afloat is through engaging with individuals online and paying attention to the way they use language. By going through articles, watching videos, and participating in discussions on different forums, one can get an idea of the updated language trends. For students, this process is quite important as they have to be ready for new knowledge and ready to learn it in academic environment as well as in social life.
