Introduction 

“Knowledge is a tool, and like all tools, its impact is in the hands of the user”. (Brown, 2019). We exist in a heavily digitalized era, where technology is a tool that we can no longer forsake. And rightly so, because thanks to this technological advancement, we are able to reach new highs that we never dared dream of. Vast seas of knowledge are a click of a button away, and the interest, is now a hub for new and bright ideas. We are now able to share and gather information in the easiest way possible and not only have we reached the peak of communication, but we have also gone as far as to use this tool to make us even more literate. Electronic media should be considered the number one contributor to the increased literacy rate amongst human beings in the digital age. The motion of whether electronic media are making us more or less illiterate is heavily debatable, however, there are many factors that tip the scale in the benefit of electronic media. 

​

Linguistic Instability 

According to research conducted by the Utrecht Institute of Linguistics on the matter of “Language Structure: Variation and Change”, researchers were able to conclude that “Languages change over time. As a result, linguistic properties need not be stable” (“Language Structure: Variation and Change”, 2018). The conclusion that language is not a stable or fixed matter aids in abolishing the argument that today’s electronic media is making us more less literate, while many would argue that the use of slang and abbreviations in today’s mediated messages is only leading us towards illiteracy, I would argue that it is leading us to find newer and easier ways to communicate our thoughts in a free online space. In this time and age, people are rushed, busy and in a constant hurry to get things done; Eric J. Fox writes in his online article “People around the world are moving so fast, trying to do so much, that humanity as a whole is slowly choking itself with its own progress” (Fox, 2008). And the sole purpose of electronic media is to make life easier for individuals. This type of instant gratification is due to the accelerated pace of CMC (computer mediated communication) and language is in fact, changing over time to suit the needs of this fast-paced generation. Therefore, the surfacing of such linguistic changes should not be considered a factor in making people illiterate.

​

Internet Slang and Emoticons 

The internet is considered a safe haven for creation. It consists of slang words, abbreviations, and acronyms that online users have created in order to make for a smoother and easier communication process. Instead of considering elements such as internet slang and abbreviations a form illiteracy, it is more reasonable to consider them a creative answer to this generation’s needs and wants. Take for a moment, the existence of dialects into consideration. For instance, according to the Arab Academy, there are eleven basic Arabic dialects that derived from the original Standard Arabic (“Which Dialect Should A Non-Native Arabic Learner Study?”, 2018). Similarly, it would make sense to consider Internet slang a dialect of its own as it, too, is used by the internet community. Seeing as main purpose of language is to communicate, and it is safe to say that a message can be relayed in several different forms but still hold the same meaning. Acronyms and abbreviations have surfaced from different sources such as chatrooms, emails and most importantly, cell phone text messaging. Websites such as noslang.com offer a full dictionary of internet slang, some of the most frequently used terms would be “LOL” for “laughing out loud”, “WBU” which stands for “what about you?”, “TBH” which stands for “to be honest” and “OMW” which stands for “on my way”. These acronyms get the message across in a simple and easy manner, without requiring an individual to type long sentences in case they are rushed or preoccupied. “Another thing common to internet 

communication is the truncation and morphing of words to more typing-friendly forms. These may one day creep into common usage and end up in the dictionary.” The use of abbreviations to reduce keystrokes can be illustrated through terms such as “noob” which is an abbreviation for the word newbie used to describe a person who is unfamiliar with a certain topic or in gaming terms considered an amateur. While some would argue that people who use abbreviations are less intelligent and therefore choose not to type full sentences, research shows that the use of internet slang may be making individuals more intelligent, or in any case, it does not appear to be making anyone less intelligent. According to Montreal-based linguist Gretchen McCulloch, “Several studies show that people who use a lot of internet abbreviations perform, at worst, just as well on spelling tests, formal essays, and other measures of literacy as people who never use abbreviations — and sometimes even better.” (McCulloch, 2019).

​

Electronic media, more specifically, social media, has become a bridge between cultures. Information being shared on social platforms allows for the creation of new terms and slang as a result of cultural integration, such terms are helping individuals creatively express their thoughts and feelings. Not to mention, that several terms can now be traced back to a certain ethnic or social group. To illustrate, slang terms such as “spill the tea” originated from African-Americans who use it to describe the process of gossiping or giving out information. Other terms such as “ghosted” is used to describe the process of having someone suddenly cut off all contact with another individual without previous warning. Furthermore, it is important to take into consideration social platforms such as twitter, which allows users to create messages that consist of one hundred and forty characters only. Such platforms encourage creativity and literacy seeing as the word number is very limited, one must be very creative and careful with their choice of wording in order to ensure that they’re articulating their thoughts in the best way possible.

​

A major concern the opposing team might raise is “ how would we be able to interpret social cues with a medium like electronic media?” while some would argue that electronic media makes it harder to get the message across due to the fact that electronic media makes it difficult to interpret social cues and leave a lot of space for miscommunication, I would argue that with technological advancement, we are now able to easily transfer said cues to the digital space. To demonstrate, let’s take into consideration the creation of emoticons, more commonly known as “emojis”. In the International Communication Association’s research article on “Expressing Emotions Online: An Analysis of Visual Aspects of Emoticons” it states that emotional icons, are visual representations of facial expressions used in CMC to indicate the mood and/or emotion of a user.” The use of emoticons can now arguably substitute CMC and thus enhance one’s understanding of the message. Some of the most frequently used emoticons are the smiley face emoji “ ” and the sad face emoji “ ” which indicate two of the most basic emotions known to mankind, however, now there is a wide set of emoticons available for every feeling known to man.

​

Moreover, the fact that social media platforms allow people to form online friendships with individuals from different backgrounds means that electronic media works as window to cultures beyond our own therefore exposing people to new ideologies, beliefs and knowledge. 

An interesting study done by Masaki Yuki of Hokkaido University concluded that emotions are interpreted based on the most expressive part of the face which differs from one country from another. For instance, this study provided us with an example that compare the United Stated and Japan in terms of emoji use. In the study, researchers noted that the Japanese use “^_^” to illustrate happiness, take into account the expressive eyes and the more neutral mouth while Americans tend to use “ : )” which has a more expressive mouth and set of very dull and neutral eyes; that specific use of symbols is due to the fact that the Japanese find the most expressive part of the face to be the eyes contrary to the American belief that the mouth is the most expressive facial part. This study further proves that electronic media help us in better understanding different cultures and their ways of expression thus making us more literate. 

​

​In addition to the use of emojis, we are now able to identify certain tones using words and typing. According to Patricia Rockwell’s research study, “Yeah, right!: A Linguistic Analysis of Self-reported Sarcastic Messages and Their Contexts” most if not all forms of sarcasm rely on a person’s tone of voice. But how can one relay a tone of voice through words? The most common way to do that would be by italicizing the word to indicate that it should be read in a sarcastic tone. For example: