CARS INTRO

Justyn Cole
ENC 1102-0105
Professor Moody
10 April 2010
CARS Outline/Introduction Although there have been multiple studies on texting and whether or not if affects the writing style of our youth, there still seems to be some uncertainty about this topic. Jacquie Ream, author of “K.I.S.S. Keep It Short and Simple”, believes that text messaging is destroying our youth’s literacy. Ream says “Text messaging is destroying the written word. The students aren't writing letters, they're typing into their cell phones one line at a time. Feelings aren't communicated with words when you're texting; emotions are sideways smiley faces. Kids are typing shorthand jargon that isn't even a complete thought.” She views texting in a negative light when compared to literacy. On the other hand, Dr. Bruce Moore, director of the Australian National Dictionary Centre, believes the opposite. He was quoted saying "And the fact is, kids today are writing more than they ever have in history. If you walk down any street, you'll see a kid texting on a mobile phone. I think it's extraordinary." He feels that the more our youth text, the more they are writing and thinking about writing; and the more one writes or thinks about writing, the better one will become at writing. With so many contradicting theories and unanswered questions, I will attempt to look into whether or not writing skills are being affected by the increase of texting in the youth across the world.