Social Networks

[coyotecraft]

I've got a Aunt that's going into retirement. She has been completely left behind the computer age. She's never had to work with computers or the internet and the only thing I could see her using it is for email. She has a cell phone but it's not activated, she only carries it if she needs to call 911. She gets really bitter when people ask for an email address or expect her to go online to fill something out.

I feel for her. I got a text message from a highschool friend I haven't seen or heard from in over a year. They were angry because I never talk to them. I was like "whats your excuse for not talking to me?".
First of all I never text message unless I have too. I'm extremely slow, so the other person will text me 3 times back before I can reply to the first one. If they want to have a conversation then call me. If they're at work they should be fucking working!
The real reason all these people are losing their jobs isn't because of the economy, it's cause they got caught chatting on their phone. [/sarcasm]

I don't use facebook, myspace, twitter, or any other newly invented social network. But apparently people jump ship to next new social network that comes around leaving the old ones behind. Is this ever going to stop? Or am I going to end up like my Aunt and get left behind?

 

[Guest]

;D

 

[Velocir_X]

Well, I don't use facebook, myspace, or twitter. All I use are msn, irc and certain forums. I've been around the internet for quite a long time now, and while a lot of people do use facebook, myspace, and twitter, I can't be fucking arsed with it to be honest, irc is the way to go.

This

Please put a little more substance into your posts next time-this is The Symposium, so try and put forth and contribute a little more thought. Thanks!
~Dadevster

 

[NexS]

I'm not big on these things either, but honestly, there are too many people who are. There are those that use nothing but them. So in the end, you are forced to either abandon people or suck it up for 10 minutes a week.
I do however have myspace and facebook.... myspace because my friend had threatened to cut me with something if i didn't (about 4 years ago >.<) and facebook so i can play texas holdem poker on it...

 

[DeM0nFiRe]

coyotecraft, you can't blame myspace that you didn't keep in touch with your friend. If you had wanted to stay in touch with that friend there was still phone or even snail mail you could have used. Those have been around for a while and don't appear to be going anywhere, so you can't blame the latest fads for that. While it is true that she could have called you, you could have called her.

Secondly, it is only ignorance that could cause a person to want communication to be harder. I personally don't use them all that much, I use them sometimes. I certainly don't get mad at people for using them or not using them, though.

 

[bashful crobat]

This isn't really a Symposium type thread as there is no real "deep thought" involved here, it's more of a General Discussion topic. I've moved it for you.

IRC is generally the way to go along with MSN, although IRC > all.

 

[Ellie]

I don't get the point of most of them.

Twitter - oh hi I see you took a dump at 11:20 am that's really cool thanks for telling me that
Facebook - oh you added me as a friend :D I didn't know that already from real life thanks for confirming that
MySpace - oh I see you... erm... yes. You made a profile with cool colours and music from a band and added some friends. Now what? Sit on your arse for a few years?
Bebo - what is this I don't even
MSN - oh look you're talking to me in an online chat like program (its like IRC but more limited)
IRC - kerching

 

[coyotecraft]

I put this in the Symposium because I thought there would be a lot of arguments that would come from it. I wasn't expecting people to just list what networks they use.

Are kids killing the English language?
Text messaging is an antisocial means of communication.
Pedophiles are stalking your myspace page.

Since these things are so popular can't someone defend them?

 

[Ellie]

I don't worry about myspace pedophiles or whatever shit they're spewing now. Frankly if someone is stupid enough to post enough details on the Internet for a stalker to be able to go to their home and rape them (or whatever it is they worry about) then they shouldn't be on the Internet in the first place.

But as far as texting killing language I don't see why. People still talk to each other normally. Text speak is just faster, if all you want to do is quickly tell someone you're on the bus and coming home you don't want to type a lengthy essay, especially if you're less adept at cell phone typing.

 

[NexS]

But coyote is right... I've heard people say internet speak in real life. Even when it takes longer to say it like that than it does to say the real F**king words. It drives me crazy when people say "dubble-you tee eff" or "kay kay" etc.

I don't mind people typing it or pressing into keypad to make it quicker (things like "sry i'll b l8. c u then") because it doesn't actually change the language...

 

[Guest]

;D

 

[Twirly]

:x@people saying wtf and kk in real life. I think maybe they're the 13yo people who don't quite adapt to real life out side of the internet.

From what I've seen, only people who visit the internet less often, use lol in real life.

 

[Tindy]

We actually studied texting in two of my classes, Linguistics and Japanese Society. Apparently, according to studies, texting does *not* make anti-social behavior, because you're generally still talking to someone else (ie: not a robot, therefore: not anti-social), but when you're texting in spite of being in the presence of friends, or texting instead of making new friends (like on a bus), it isolates you.

Also, language is ever-changing and ever-evolving, so even if double-you-tee-eff wouldn't have entered our lexicon without texting, it's still basically the exact same as acquiring Shakespearean words like "beached" and "worthless."

 

[Guest]

;D

 

[mawk]

Are kids killing the English language?

hey maybe shorthand is just an easier way of getting your point across? people have used acronyms and things like that for about as long as people have written things down. it's always seemed a little elitist to me that people get knocked for not typing full words all the time.

there are places where shorthand isn't appropriate, but generally speaking everyone knows what "wtf," "omg," and "ttyl" mean, so why pretend they're somehow indecipherable? it's as if centuries ago, when contractions were still fresh, you ridiculed someone for using "can't" instead of "cannot." I think the stigma against that sort of shorthand only exists because of the cliches regarding the sorts of people who use it.

as far as that language seeping into real life, it's just slang. slang's always incredibly influenced by society, and let's face it, the internet is a huge part of society whether you're a complete shut-in or just want to buy some shirts. it's not a commentary on the person using it; the people who use it are pretty varied.

personally, I'm cool with social networks themselves as long as they have a focus (read: this place) or are connected with the people you know in real life (read: everywhere else I go.) plain societies that exist exclusively on the internet are worth avoiding, imo.

I go here to make a game and kick the asses of people who are not ambitious enough. I go on facebook and use chat to keep in touch with my now-exhaustive (since switching cities) list of bros I can't meet up with in real life. I don't see anything about either of these things that'll turn me into a barnacle wearing a headset.

 

[Ellie]

Even abbreviations have been around long before the Internet.

BYOB
RSVP

Even Winnie the Pooh could be attributed to the apparent "killing of the english language". TTFN, taa-taa for now!

 

[NexS]

We actually studied texting in two of my classes, Linguistics and Japanese Society. Apparently, according to studies, texting does *not* make anti-social behavior, because you're generally still talking to someone else (ie: not a robot, therefore: not anti-social), but when you're texting in spite of being in the presence of friends, or texting instead of making new friends (like on a bus), it isolates you.

Anti-social generally doesn't mean "not talking to people". From my experiance in the english language, anti-social means not associating in a friendly manner or being antagonistic or hostile. And i don't think that social networks (keeping on-topic here ^^) make people anti-social, more so they make people reclusive and isolated as you've mentioned, Tindy.

 

[Glitchfinder]

there are places where shorthand isn't appropriate, but generally speaking everyone knows what "wtf," "omg," and "ttyl" mean, so why pretend they're somehow indecipherable? it's as if centuries ago, when contractions were still fresh, you ridiculed someone for using "can't" instead of "cannot." I think the stigma against that sort of shorthand only exists because of the cliches regarding the sorts of people who use it.

Actually, contractions are still considered unacceptable for college level essays and papers. Not only that, but the real problem isn't the people who know that they're using abbreviations and substitutes. The real problem is the people who either forgot or didn't bother to learn real written English, and only really know how to write in text-talk, even if it is something as simple as "u" instead of "you" or "ur" instead of "your" or "you're". Incidentally, many companies have actually started up programs to train their new employees how to write in basic English, because they don't want thos abbreviations on company forms, memos, or emails.

 

[Ellie]

It strikes me as a bit odd to classify some words as formal and some as casual.

They don't read any differently.


Hi sir, sorry can't come to the meeting tonight, aren't able to miss this gig.

Hello sir, sorry I cannot come to the meeting tonight, I am unable to miss this concert.

(Bad example, I know, but you get the point).


To say both somehow mean different things is as odd as saying that CUNT is a more offensive word than PUSSY or VAJAYJAY. Or that FUCK is inacceptable as a replacement for SEX.

 

[Glitchfinder]

It strikes me as a bit odd to classify some words as formal and some as casual.

They don't read any differently.


Hi sir, sorry can't come to the meeting tonight, aren't able to miss this gig.

Hello sir, sorry I cannot come to the meeting tonight, I am unable to miss this concert.

(Bad example, I know, but you get the point).


To say both somehow mean different things is as odd as saying that CUNT is a more offensive word than PUSSY or VAJAYJAY. Or that FUCK is inacceptable as a replacement for SEX.

Actually, in the US, fuck is considered a curse word of one of the higher orders, and is thus deemed unacceptable for use in most circles, whereas sex is, for the most part, perfectly all right.