The Influence of Instant Messaging Communication on Standard Written Language and Social Communication

Abstract

Unlike many other types of communication technology, the one through instant messaging or as referred to in the language of
technology IM (Instant Messaging), has not been the focus of research or studies conducted. For this type f communication is spoken
and studied very little, although its use is growing. Given that it affects the culture of writing, social and cultural factors are also a strong
reason why this type of communication is not studied. Nowadays, it is increasingly difficult to come across letters or postcards that are
distributed among the people; "postal service" looks like an old term and above all, time is what everyone is missing. In a world where
technological developments are proceeding at a dizzying speed, and where cultural globalization does not only mean values but also
anti-values, it is really difficult to maintain the classical forms of communication. It is true that communicating through instant and short
messaging could be very easy and comfortable, but the point is that we totally forget about the fact that this kind of communication
influences the way that we write and it would also influence our thinking process if we do not take it into consideration. The aim of this
paper, is to analyze some of the major problematic issues regarding Instant Messaging Communication; the linguistic forms that are
used, advantages and disadvantages of this kind of communication and the impact that it has on the culture of writing.