Social Media Effects On Student Writing

In September I wrote a blog about Twitter’s influence on writing. In March, an article was published in the Texas A&M school news paper, The Battalion, that checked the belief that grammatical errors have increased because of social media outlets.

Texas A&M University Writing Center Executive Director Valeria Balester says it does not have an effect….”Any teachers who are assuming [errors] are increasing don’t have any evidence for that. It’s just anecdotal,” Balester said. Source: Facebook Affects Student Writing | The Battalion.

I still hold to my belief that writing style (not necessarily grammar) and communications in general have changed because of social media. The article goes on to say that kids today are schizophrenic writers (my term): they write one way in social media outlets and another way for formal papers/class assignments. That is interesting. Now I want to know how are they going to write at their jobs? Will they use the formal style or the informal?

The article also mentioned that one difference with writing today compared to 20 years ago is that students don’t care as much about making errors – either in the formal writing or social writing. That could be some of the difference I’ve noticed. The errors mentioned are grammatical like wrong word choice. They use spell check but they don’t use grammar check correctly or the grammar check isn’t smart enough to distinguish the plethora of homonyms in the English language.

The biggest difference I’ve noticed is the “dumbing down” of writing: smaller words and a shrinking vocabulary.

robertstackhouse

“I don't like reading or writing, but I got A's in my English classes.”

So why blog then? You must at least like writing on some level. ;)
teamsiems

Thanks for the insight, Robert.

My personal irony is that my dad was PR Director at the DOT and Coast Guard. My mom majored in English and French in college. I was a Nuclear Engineering major. I don't like reading or writing, but I got A's in my English classes.

As a new step-father of 3 wonderful teens/tweens, I'm starting to see how kids now days think and communicate. All of them have or had AIM, Yahoo, MySpace, and Facebook accounts – ironically they don't like Twitter. They make “good grades” in English and relax (throw out) their grammar online. I think their vocabulary is greater than mine was at their age – thanks to their mother.
robertstackhouse

“Now I want to know how are they going to write at their jobs? Will they use the formal style or the informal?”

Once again, context is king. I would say that the choice to communicate informally or formally resides with the person doing the communicating. Was a sense of office etiquette and propriety passed on to the youngster by their parents? For some, the answer would be yes, for others, the answer would be no. People who care about diction, spelling, and grammar raise children who care about diction, spelling, and grammar. Don't believe me? Then, you obviously haven't met my mother. You might also do well to interview my son in about 15 years as well.

As for a shrinking vocabulary, I believe that is a cultural phenomenon. We have placed science and technology on a pedestal for our children and left the humanities lying in the dirt. I think we as a society are beginning to remember that both areas are important to well rounded human beings.