Text messaging – commonly called “texts” – may be one of the most convenient ways to send a quick message to a co-worker or friend, but it isn’t always the most efficient.
Texting has brought new ways of communication that can be described as shorthand or abbreviated messaging. The messages contained in texts, however, can sometimes be confusing and unreadable for the receiver. For example, would you understand a text that said “^5”?
Translation: “High five.”
Text messaging, e-mails and other social media are quickly popularizing shorthand texting to save time and finger use. Twitter, which has a monthly growth of 1,382 percent, only allows users to communicate or “tweet” 140 characters. This means Twitter consumers must also use shorthand messages to communicate quickly and within the allowed characters.
The trend isn’t just affecting teens and young adults, it is changing businesses and ways co-workers interact. If you receive an e-mail with a subject labeled “NSFW,” it is probably best to read while at home; the message is “not safe for work.”
Nationally recognized publications are also jumping on the texting wagon. Both the Associated Press Stylebook and Merriam-Webster Dictionary recognize texting slang in their 2009 editions. TTYL (“Talk to you later”), IMO (“In my opinion”), LOL (“Laugh out loud”) and OMG (“Oh my God”) are some examples of phrases included in these books.
Feel like you’re reading another language? There are many translation sites available to decode the toughest notes, such as NetLingo.com, UrbanDictionary.com and
DTXTR.com.
Test your knowledge
CITA, an international wireless telecommunications company, reported the average number of text messages sent per subscriber per month was 188. Do you always understand the texts you receive from family and friends?
Test your knowledge. Decode these shorthand messages often used in text messaging and social media.
1. <3
2. B4
3. BBL
4. F2F
5. FYI
6. H/O
7. HRU
8. IDK
9. INBD
10. IYQ
11. JK
12. OBTW
13. OOO
14. SFW
15. U8
16. ZZZ
Answers:
1. Heart, love
2. Before
3. Be Back Later
4. Face-to-face
5. For Your Information
6. Hold On
7. How Are You?
8. I Don’t Know
9. It’s No Big Deal
10. I Like You
11. Just Kidding
12. Oh By The Way
13. Out Of Office
14. Safe For Work
15. You Ate? (Have you eaten?)
16. Tired, bored
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