Textism

Textism is the use of abbreviations and shortened forms of words when composing text messages or other types of instant messages. The term is also sometimes used more specifically to describe the actual abbreviations, shortened word forms, and other stylized vocabulary and grammatical choices employed in the composition of text messages. The use of abbreviations such as “plz” and “lol” in place of the longer word “please” and the longer phrase “laughing out loud” are examples of textism. As cell phones and text messaging applications have become increasingly ubiquitous, so too has textism, especially among younger people who use electronic devices to communicate via text message and social media more frequently than others. Considerable debate takes place among experts and other concerned parties about the effect of textism on teen literacy. While some point out that textism can negatively impact teens’ ability to spell and use proper grammar and punctuation, others argue that textism teaches certain skills that can actually improve literacy.

Background

The emergence of textism is a direct result of the rise of text messaging as a popular form of communication. The concept of text messaging, or Short Message Service (SMS), was first developed in the 1980s. Telecommunications engineers Friedhelm Hillebrand and Bernard Ghillebaert created the first text messaging system while working for the Franco-German Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) group in 1984. In its earliest form, text messaging was intended to allow network operators to send their customers service-related information. Before long, however, it started gaining popularity among customers who used it to send messages to one another.

The next major step in the evolution of text messaging came in the 1990s when the first commercial text messaging systems were introduced. As telecommunications companies began to recognize the potential of text messaging as a new means of communication, they started offering text messaging services and text-enabled mobile phones. By the 2000s, text messaging began to increase in popularity as the use of mobile phones became more widespread. During this period, mobile carriers further popularized text messaging by offering various texting plans that made sending texts more affordable. This added to text messaging’s appeal among users and further increased its use.

In the early days of text messaging’s popularity in the 1990s and 2000s, the process of sending text messages had some limitations that impacted the way people composed their texts. Because most mobile phones available at the time did not yet come equipped with full physical or virtual keyboards, the first text messaging systems had to rely on the “multi-tap” approach to texting. In this approach, each number on a mobile phone’s alphanumeric keypad was connected to three or four letters. To select the letters they needed when composing a text message, users would sometimes have to press the same key several times. Because this was often cumbersome, many people who sent texts began to use abbreviations and shortened forms of words to make the texting process easier and faster.

From the 2000s onward, text messaging improved further with the addition of virtual keyboards, new technologies that allowed for the sending of multimedia messages, and the arrival of various new messaging apps and platforms. Over time, text messaging grew into one of the most prevalent forms of communication.

Overview

Textism is a phenomenon in text messaging involving the use of various abbreviations, shortened word forms, stylized spellings, and other similar contrivances. It first arose because early text messaging systems had certain limitations that made composing text messages more challenging. These included complicated alphanumeric keypad inputs, limits on the number of characters that could be used in each message, and the cost of sending text messages. All of this led mobile phone users to start finding ways to text more efficiently.

The many techniques people use when practicing textism are also often referred to as textisms. Many different types of textism exist. Abbreviations, initialisms, and acronyms are typically grouped together in one textism category. Some examples of this include using “tl;dr” instead of “too long; didn’t read,” “gf” instead of “girlfriend,” and “lol” instead of “laughing out loud.” Other textisms involve the use of letter and number homophones. Examples of this type of textism include “gr8” for “great” and “2nite” for “tonight.” Some textisms involve word contraction or clipping. Sometimes this means dropping vowels to turn “weekend” into “wknd.” It can also mean shortening “probably” into “prob” by omitting the end of the word. Another type of textism involves stylized accents so that a word or phrase is spelled the way it sounds in speech. Examples of this include using “wanna” for “want to” or “cuz” for “because.” Stylized spellings like “plz” instead of “please” can also be considered a type of textism. Some textisms do not serve to make text messaging more efficient but simply reflect common texting habits. One example of this kind of textism is repeating letters within a word for added emphasis, such as by using “nooo” instead of “no.”

Much debate exists over the question of how textism impacts teen literacy. Critics argue that text messaging and textism contribute to illiteracy among teens, noting that teens who text frequently tend to experience challenges with formal writing. One of these problems is difficulty in knowing the difference between standard and nonstandard spellings, which arises because nonstandard spellings are a common textism. Another problem is the inability to remember or follow the normal rules of grammar, which are typically not observed in text messaging. Similarly, some teens who text frequently tend to struggle with using appropriate uppercase and lowercase letters and proper punctuation. Critics also say that textism can lead teens to have weaker vocabularies.

On the other hand, some experts point out that textism also has some benefits that could actually boost teen literacy. One of these benefits is that using letter and number homophone textisms can potentially improve teens’ phonological skills and allow them to easily interpret short strings of letters and numbers as whole words, phrases, and sentences. Textism can also help teens find unconventional ways to link sounds and letters, improve their verbal reasoning skills, and become more creative and confident in their writing.

Bibliography

Angel, M. “Cre8n Text: A Rule-Based Approach to Textese.” Language@Internet, vol. 20, 2022. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.

“A Brief History of Text Messaging.” Mobivity, 27 Sept. 2012, www.mobivity.com/mobivity-blog/a-brief-history-of-text-messaging. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.

Chui, Charlotte. “Textisms Act as Communication Cues.” El Estoque, 20 Nov. 2019, elestoque.org/2019/11/20/entertainment/textisms. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.

Johnson, Jennifer. “How Is Textism & Text Messaging Affecting Teen Literacy?” Hug a Teen, 10 Nov. 2021, hugateen.com/articles/tech/how-is-text-messaging-affecting-teen-literacy. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.

Kaplan, Marty. “Textism: Is Spelling Over?” HuffPost, 10 Oct. 2013, www.huffpost.com/entry/is-spelling-over‗b‗4050890. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.

Lemzy, Alexa. “When Was Texting Invented: A History over 30 Years in the Making.” TextMagic, 17 July 2023, www.textmagic.com/blog/the-history-of-texting-from-telegraphs-to-enterprise-sms. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.

Stromberg, Joseph. “OMG! Texting Doesn’t Actually Hurt Kids’ Grammar or Spelling Skills.” Vox, 14 July 2014, www.vox.com/2014/7/14/5891479/texting-grammar-spelling-education-kids. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.

Sukkur, Aijaz Ahmed. “The Negative Impact of Textism on Young Minds.” Dawn, 26 June 2022, www.dawn.com/news/1696776/the-negative-impact-of-textism-on-young-minds. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.