Internet Grammar

It's hard for me to believe that I have been writing on the Internet for ten years, and using it for longer than that. I can still remember the first time I used the Web at my then local library, and wondering how this text based medium could ever catch on (Yahoo was, after all, sending me in circles at the time). I remember the first computer my family owned that had a color screen and actually used graphics that looked like photos (instead of something that had been created with a monotone LiteBright) and how dial up that took forever. I remember teaching myself how to write html using an online tutorial, writing my first piece of fanfiction, frequenting forums, posting to several Yahoo Groups that also had weekly chats, and a few years later discovering what a blog is. Anything that was written about the internet five years ago (let alone ten years ago!) is ancient history, and apparently there is next to no one writing about grammar on the internet. When I think about it, this makes sense, I mean why should we? We are living it, we know it backwards and forwards, why spend your time writing or reading about it? The rules will be rewritten next week. Still, for the purpose of discussion, I will outline three types of online writing that I am very familiar with… categories of Internet grammar, if you will. As the Internet has evolved, the number and types of activities that surfers can enjoy has gotten much broader, creating there is a wide spectrum of writing formality that is utilized when writing in these environments.

Chat
Ten years ago, Abdullah pointed out that the Internet was being used for “e-mail, chats, Web-based discussions and SMS messages is marked by features of both informal speech and formal writing, a host of text-based icons and acronyms for managing social interaction, and changes in spelling norms” (Impact). In reality, the use of grammar (or lack thereof) takes place in a much broader range of settings now. The most informal writing, chat, can be found in chat rooms, instant messages, comments to articles, blogs, and on MySpace, and in the interaction of players of MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games). Here is where grammar in the traditional sense is often thrown out the window. Chatters use acronyms (that often greatly depend on the content they are discussing), omit periods and commas, and spelling is often butchered (sometimes on purpose). In this environment it is still rude to type with the caps lock turned on—unless of course you meant to yell—and no one is going to correct your grammar.

It is true that a lot of these chatters are very young, still in junior high or high school, but just as many of them are college students, adults with a steady income, or middle aged individuals that started playing games on their computers before games even had graphics. In this environment it’s okay to use the English language in creative ways that would make your teacher pull his or her hair out, and use code words from inside jokes that are shared by millions. Conversations can be hard to follow for the uninitiated because the pace is so fast and the topic is changed so frequently. The acronyms can also be intimidating at first, because there are so many to learn and remember, some with multiple variations that are accepted, some that make absolutely no sense whatsoever, and some spellings that make the new version of the word longer than the original, correct one. In this world Chuck Norris is often worshiped as a god and everything could always use—nay, needs—more cowbell.

It’s a widely held opinion that so much violence and bad grammar can’t be good for developing minds, but here is the Internet grammar that “ the past distinctions between writing and talking” (Electronic Discourse). With these types of media individuals can discuss topics more openly than in RL (a.k.a. Real Life), interact with citizens of other countries instantly, and have to navigate the difficulties that can be caused by not being able to hear tone and intonation (which is where smiley faces come in so handy). These interactions and shared experiences can seem more real than those in RL, but they are in a compartment of their own, along with the bad grammar that is used. Some are concerned about “how effectively students can communicate meaning using the situational rhetoric of written talk, the conventions of which differ noticeably from those of traditional academic writing” (Electronic Discourse), but people who frequently interact in this way understand that it is a separate sphere than in other areas or the internet, face to face conversations, and certainly won’t be using the lingo in their schoolwork.

Blogs, Forums, Fanfiction
A more formal usage of Internet grammar is the English found in most blogs and forums. Here writers can journal, write about what they are reading, writing, or experiencing in their life, report news, share information on any topic under the sun, support others, receive reciprocal advice, and sometimes connect with like-minded people to meet in person. Forums can still contain smiley faces and acronyms, but “the malleable nature of electronic text has made the physical process of composing more 'elastic' in that writers are quicker to commit thought to writing and to reorganize content because it is simple to make changes on the electronic screen” (Impact). The style of writing is more formal, yet still retains the personal touch. Using proper grammar is very important in this category. Some other forms of communication that can also fall under this heading are virtual work-related board meetings and advice sites where anyone can post answers to questions or reviews of products.

Similarly, the Internet has enabled writers of fiction to have their work read and critiqued in a way that never would have been possible otherwise. Fanfiction is stories written by fans of books, television programs, and movies. These works cannot be legally published for profit and usually contain a disclaimer to this effect. The writers don’t own the content they are extrapolating upon, but they have been inspired by the original work and are respectfully giving the characters (often along with some new ones) their own voice. To be honest, some fanfiction out there is horrible and isn’t worth reading because of the bad grammar and lack of plot, but on the other hand some of it is so good that it could be published and is popular enough that the writer would be considered successful. Beginning and Intermediate writers can gain experience using the resources the Internet provides. Alongside this are the more experienced writers who are writing original works and are self-publishing their stories in book form, promoting their work in new ways, or who are writing non-fiction.

Formal Articles and Research
This last category of Internet grammar is one that all good college attending report writers are familiar with. The most formal writing online is in the form of published articles from journals that cover a wide array of topics, including medical, literary, and technical. If the researchers are very lucky they can find the sources they need with the quality of information that is quote worthy by using the correct database or online encyclopedia. When these sources fail a student they can turn to professionally written news articles and blogs, where the writers usually have an editor and have spent a lot of time performing their own research. After that there are resources such as Wikipedia, which can be very helpful, but theoretically anyone can edit the entries so the sources may not always be reliable. In all reality most of these reports are merely an online copy of something that was published by the government or in a magazine, but more and more are being written with the sole intent of being used online.

The Future of Internet Grammar
As we continue experiencing the changes of the twenty-first century, technology and the way that it is being used continues to change writing. New words and expressions are quickly spread through online conversations and prose. The Internet may quickly be finding itself obsolete and retired to a new and improved Grid that communicates “at speeds about 10,000 times faster than a typical broadband connection” (the Grid). Books may be eventually replaced with environmentally friendly alternatives such as the Kindle, a handheld device that can wirelessly download and display over 200 books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs (Kindle). A world without books, where all writing takes place electronically, can and perhaps is happening within our lifetime, which would gradually change all writing that used to be in print to become integrated as part of the Internet Grammar spectrum. Personally, I enjoy interacting online and writing with all three levels of grammatical efficiency. Being able to electronically dog ear or search (Kindle) through what I’m reading would be great (I would never abuse a book like that in real life!), and this technology had the potential to help renew an interest in reading, but I am going to have a very hard time giving up my books.

Bibliography
Abdullah, Mardiziah Hayati. “Electronic Discourse: Evolving Conventions in Online Academic Environments. The Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Composition. 1998. Accessed April 29, 2008. http://chiron. valdosta.edu/whuitt/files/elecdiscourse.html
--- “The Impact of Electronic Communication on Writing.” The Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication, 188. December 2003. Accessed April 29 2008. http://reading. indiana.edu/ieo/digests/d188.html Two very old papers (in terms of the evolution of the internet), citing even older research as it discusses concerns about how use of the internet impacts students’ writing.
“’The Grid’ Could Soon Make the Internet Obsolete.” FOXNews.com. 7 April, 2008. Accessed 22 April, 2008. http://www.foxnews.com/story/ 0,2933,347212,00.html Article that I inadvertently stumbled upon that discusses where the Internet is going, or rather, where it isn’t.
Heingartner, Douglas. “The Grid: the Next-Gen Internet?” Wired. 8 March 2001. Accessed April 26, 2008. http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries /news/2001/03/42230 One of the only articles I could find on the Grid, and it’s very old, too. It’s interesting to me that it has taken seven years to build it.
“Internet Grammar Concerns.” Webopedia. 10 March 2006. Accessed 29 April 2008. http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Internet/2002/InternetGrammar.asp Short entry outlining the proper ways to refer to the Internet and World Wide Web in writing. I had no idea there were any rules in this respect, so interesting bit of information.
“Kindle: Amazon’s New Wireless Reading Device.” Amazon.com. Accessed April 19, 2008. http://www.amazon.com Path: Kindle. Amazon’s listing for a new wireless device that will allow owners to download books and more wirelessly. According to the home page, Amazon has been having trouble keeping them stock.

None of the journals I searched provided any articles, except one story that I could only read one page of. I have been maintaining my own webpage for ten years, using Yahoo Groups, forums, and chat rooms for even longer, writing fanfiction for 8-9 years, and blogging for five years.