OMG ETC.

There is a new phenomenon in the world of communications. The lazy typist. I cannot count how many times I have received a text message from my son, only to reply “I beg your pardon? Might I enquire as to the meaning of * BBT. G/Fs. GWHTLC*? You do realise, or course, you are not paying by the letter? This is not engraving. “

Creating acronyms and shortening words is a practice that should definitely be discouraged, especially when these text message colloquialisms are leaking into speech.  My pet hate is the acronym LOL. LOL is not a word.  That means you cannot use it in a sentence, so please desist from trying. I am growing frustrated with the incessant need to shorten words and create acronyms. You would not say “laughing out loud”, you would just laugh. So why use the acronym as a word? Have we lost the ability to simply laugh? If you say it, you are not actually laughing are you? So to say LOL is a LIE.

The word ‘for’ takes very little time to write. Considering that on a phone you have to hit two buttons just to bring up the numbers, writing ‘4’ instead is actually less efficient.  ‘You’ is a three letter word. To use ‘U’ instead will save you LESS THAN A SECOND. Is a mere nanosecond worth your reputation as a capable communicator?
Studies have shown that this new slang is not only affecting the speech of today's youth, but their educational standards. This article, dated 2008, describes teachers' frustration at marking essays containing these new colloqiualisms. Text Message Slang Found In School Work  

Please, for the love of all that is Holy, stop and think before you write. The smartest student could write a thesis containing the cure for cancer, but written in text message, it is worth no more than a smiley face on a post it note. What a waste. The English greats would be rolling in their graves.