The Keyboard vs. The Pencil
Many people assume that texting interferes with your writing abilities. According to Michaela Cullington's essay, “Does Texting Affect Writing?”, texting really does not pose as a problem when it comes to formal writing. I believe this to be true. Cullington discusses how individuals throughout the educational world are concerned that the abbreviations used during texting called “textspeak” (gtg=got to go, nvm=never mind, brb=be right back, etc…) may have a negative affect on writing skills, but it actually does not. When I was in middle school, many of my teachers worried about the exact same thing, but I was still able to write without the mistake of using textspeak in an assignment. Cullington also discusses that texting causes teenagers to enjoy writing formally and can also help to improve our writing skills. Texting is a fun way of writing, so…show more content… However, textspeak is convenient and efficient when you want to say something quickly in a way others will still understand it. During middle school, texting was just starting to become really popular and so was textspeak. Many of my teachers were afraid that textspeak would ruin our writing abilities. They would constantly remind us not to use the abbreviations and acronyms when writing formally. I for one never even thought about using them because I knew they were strictly used during texting, not in an actual assignment. Research has found that most students do not use textspeak when writing at all. A student from Minnesota high school stated that “There is a time and place for everything,” and formal writing is not the place for communicating the way she would if she were texting her friends” (Walsh in Cullington 368). Although many teachers throughout the educational world believe that textspeak is tempting and is not helpful within school, it actually can