Davidson’s (2012) article on the language of memes provided insight into the rise of these internet entities and why they are so prevalent. In particular, three of their characteristics stood out as the responsible parties to the memes popularity: speed of transmission, ease of replication (and therefore variation), and lack of attribution. With access to the internet, a file can go viral in literally minutes. Take for example, one of the more popular memes from this week, an unflattering photo of Beyonce from her Superbowl half time show. Her publicist requested that a website remove the unsightly photo of the pop queen, and at such an outrageous request, the photo made internet rounds faster than some of the week’s top news stories. The speed of transmission allowed this photo to be something that people shared instantaneously. With software providing the ability to alter digital images, ease of replication and  variation allowed the joke to continue while evolving into various forms of jokes that anyone could enjoy. Like Futurama? There’s a Zoidberg Beyonce. Like The Walking Dead? There’s zombie Beyonce. If you’re just a meme fan in general, then let’s call this little fiasco Bad Luck Briyonce. Lack of attribution frees us from the otherwise stiff and stifling property rights laws. Since no one is taking credit for the memes, they can be shared and manipulated as many times as the public continues to tolerate the joke. For your viewing pleasure, and clarification in case you’ve been living under a rock this week: http://baconwrappedmedia.com/funny-beyonce-super-bowl-meme-37-pics/. I hope its obvious why I chose this as my paper topic.

Baron (2008) examined away messages in instant messaging services and the alternative uses that individual users found for them. While some users did alter the default away message to explain why there were away from their computers (even if lying about their whereabouts), many used the away message as a form of self expression. Everything from humor to soapboxing were observed in users away messages, much like the modern Facebook status update often used in strikingly similar ways, in my opinion. Most memorable from this reading was the strong opinion of some users about the away messages of others. The utter disgust displayed for a lack of a clever message was a telling sign in why this facet of online communication was worth studying. Such strong opinions about the away messages of others confirmed that users deeply cared about the identity they displayed in their own messages, but most significantly, that they cared about the identity displayed by other users. I guess I was blissfully clueless that those Pink Floyd lyrics posted as my away message as a 15 year old fell short in the eyes of other instant message users.

Naaman, Boase, and Lai’s (2010) look at microblogging, Twitter specifically, and make a study of two kids of users, the informers and the “meformers”. Informers generally post to make others aware of an event or subject, and while the subjects of their posts are centered on their interests, they are not self-subject posts. For this reason, their posts then to be more conversational. The “meformers” on the other hand are self-centered posters, but interestingly, they also use these platforms as a way to maintain a large network that would otherwise be too time costly without such networked platforms as Twitter.

Humor plays a significant role in self presentation for users on the internet. Humorous posts tend to be looked on more favorably than those posts that act as a cry for attention and users seem to use humor as a way to make themselves appear interesting and attractive. Although due to lack of attribution of internet memes, the humor of the individual’s variation on the joke can be cathartic. For those of you familiar, I often note this in Bad Luck Brian posts, with users sharing something unfortunate happening to them through the character. The style and language used online also convey some form of self presentation for a user. For example, if I post a Facebook status  that says, “YOLO, LOL!” then I it could either be a display of how in the know I am when it comes to these text talk lingos, or I could be making fun of those who use them by over exaggeration. Both would convey something about myself, and in this case, it would be the later.

Although the Baron reading was a specific study concerned with AOL instant messaging away messages, I can certainly see how its findings apply to other social media channels (or Social Awareness Streams). The idea that users construct images of themselves for the purpose of self-presentation manifests itself all over the place on Facebook and Twitter. The Naanman, Boase and Lai research, for instance, found that the majority of Twitter users focus on the self when Tweeting. I credit it to narcissism and egocentricity. As a random sample, the first message in my Facebook feed right now reads “Looking forward to a Walking Dead marathon tonight at the (REMOVED NAME) house. Perfect Friday night!” That status means absolutely nothing to anyone else, save for the person who typed it and/or the people in his/her household. So what was the purpose of this person’s post? I would conjecture that he or she is determined to let other people know (or lead them to believe) that he or she is really happy with their evening schedule (and possibly with their life in general). Baron remarked that “online sites are also places for constructing images of how you wish others to perceive you.”

The Baron study also found that some users intentionally mis-represent themselves. Apparently, Manti T’eo missed this memo. I especially enjoyed this example in the Baron article: “dinner with Mark and dancing all night” , which really meant at home alone watching TV. CMC affords us the ability to create our own identities and, in some instances, lie to make things look better.

The content analysis section of the Baron article found two main categories of messages within AIM IM away messages, one of which was entertainment. Baron also noted that “more often than not, if there’s an opportunity for humor, the user takes it.” The article said the motivation to entertain or be humorous was related to the opportunity CMC affords for self-expression. I’d be interested to see that topic explored further, because as an avid Twitter user it does seem that humor is used a great deal.  The Davison article, which analyzed the definition and spread of memes, also noted that humor is one of the most common types of Internet memes. The article on memes was interesting because I never officially knew what a meme was before reading this article. I had an idea, but I wasn’t certain on the exact qualifications. For instance, I did not realize that emoticons were considered memes. Their use and replication is so widespread in large part because they are easy and quick to use.

In terms of Netspeak, I actually do believe that our society as a whole uses this type of language to replace what is in fact correct grammar and spelling in conversations and in social medias. The term LOL has been a hit phenomenon that we have to replace “oh how funny” and “hahahaha.” A lot of people now replace full length sentences with just acronyms and using emoticons to express emotions, I know in text messaging a lot of people use emoticons, acronyms and sometimes just one letter to end conversations and sometimes that is a bit confusing. With the most recent hypes of technology, simply just sending a thumbs up can mean a host of things. I do think that our culture does take it a bit to far with the LOL’s and IDK’s because it shows just how bad we have dumbed down our language. Our culture is starting to write how they text and talk in certain places like school, jobs and professional conversations and that is definitely not appropriate.

I do agree with Baron on stating that Netspeak is a hybrid because it is definitely pursuing us to e-mail and write formal papers inj the language we speak during text and IM. The only thing that I feel is making us write and think in netspeak is that we try to hurry the conversations which enables us to hurry in  our every day lives with school and work which is unacceptable. The language of text and IM is more like talking because any person who is definitely educated and knows the correct way to write things I would hope will never write how they text or IM. Texting and IM’ing are quick conversations so you have to think quick which makes us shorten words and come up with new acronyms to replace full sentences. Netspeak is definitely a huge influence on our culture as well as our professionalism.

Words, Words, Words.
—Hamlet

Oftentimes, communication becomes a laborious task. Many of us constantly blasting Tweets, punching out emails, replying to texts, and answering phone calls. Sometimes we don’t know how to say what we’re feeling, and other times we can predict exactly how someone will reply when asked, “So, how’s it going?” “Oh, you know, pretty good.” It seems we find communication boring, as if it were some chore like doing the laundry. Other times, it presents us with challenges so great we don’t know how to face them. Whatever we might feel about communicating, it’s almost certain that we almost always take it for granted. Take words themselves, for example. Words — the basic, yet complex building blocks of language — are the tools we use to give our thoughts and experiences meaning. The ancient Hebrews went as far as to say that life and death were in the power of words.

So, it only makes sense that, as mankind experiences new things, he will craft new words to give his experience meaning. With the introduction of new, incredible technologies into our every-day lives, which undoubtedly change the way we experience life, we have begun to create new words to describe and share our experiences. Although scholars are undoubtedly correct in their assertion that text message, IM, and email communiques affect the way we interact in so-called “real life,” adding new words and expressions to our vocabularies, this is nothing new under the sun. For instance, before World War II, one would have been hard pressed to find the word “genocide” used to describe the systematic slaughter of a people group. But, after humanity experienced the Holocaust, we drew upon that and began using a new word to describe our experience. In a similar manner, the introduction of new technology has demanded that we continue coming up with new ways of describing our experiences.

I think web speak/netspeak is definitely having somewhat of an influence on our culture. One example that comes to mind is LOLCats which everyone knows as the funny cat pictures with captions. ‘Lol’ started out as an abbreviation for “laugh out loud” which indicates laughter in a text message or IM. Now, it has become part of our culture. There is also a popular rap song called “Lol :)”. Lol seems to be popping up everywhere in our culture. I have heard younger teenagers talking amongst themselves and they well say lol and omg. I think part of this is that teenagers and even adults text/email/IM so much that the abbreviations start to come out in normal conversation. I do think the web speak is more “talking” than writing because when you are texting someone a lot of people don’t consider it as writing. If my mom asks me if I have talked to my dad, even if I have just had a conversation through texting with him, I will say yes that I have talked to my dad. My friends and I also have our own abbreviations. For example, if we are talking about McDonald’s, in a text message we will use the abbreviation ‘mcds’. There are also a lot of other abbreviations we use to refer to different situations and sometimes our abbreviations do pop up when we are having conversations face to face.

In terms of Netspeak’s influence on our culture, I actually believe that it has been blown out of proportion by the media. For instance, does anyone else remember an extremely funny cell phone commercial that featured a family speaking all in text lingo? There was a sweet old grandmother who had the classic line, “IDK my BFF Jill.” It was a huge hit. However, as funny as the premise of that commercial was, I have never been around anyone who actually talks in text speak. Although advertisements do feature Netspeak and text message acronyms, actually saying things like “LOL” or “OMG” in day to day life rarely happens. In my experience, the only time it is ever used is in a sarcastic or humorous situation. Generally that is the way it is utilized in media as well. Characters in movies do not use Netspeak, unless they are caricatures or being used for comedic reasons. Almost every teen movie from the nineties featured a scene where an uncool dad tried to relate to his children by saying “OMG” or talking completely in text message lingo. The perception is that Netspeak is completely taking over how younger generations speak, but the truth is that it is not as common offline as people think.
I do agree that Netspeak is a hybrid language. There is, for most people, a distinction between how they write and how they speak. A formal paper is not going to be written in the same style that a person would speak. Within computer mediated communication, there are also distinctly different types of writing patterns. I do not use the same language in emails to my professors as I do in emails to my friends. I also do not text message everyone in the same manner. I think we compartmentalize the different types of communication styles that we have. The formal style is reserved for school and business, the abbreviation style is reserved for text messages and social media, and so on. We are constantly flipping back and forth between what communication style we are using. Baron addresses this to some extent when she comments that school children know when to use formal language and when to not use it. We know what is acceptable in what situation, and we match our communication style to that situation.
Because Netspeak is a hybrid language, it is also a hybrid of speech and writing. There really is no way to generalize it as more speech than writing or vice versa, because it has multiple elements of both. In response to the question “Are instant messages speech?”, Baron writes that the “simple answer is no.” I must disagree with Baron on this point, because I do not believe there is a simple answer for this question. How you communicate through CMC changes from situation to situation, therefore sometimes it resembles a natural speech pattern and sometimes it resembles formal writing. I do not believe enough time has passed since the creation and evolution of Netspeak/Webspeakfor us to accurately label it as speech or writing.

Webspeak/Netspeak has a great impact on our daily lives. Since the technology is so prominent in many peoples daily lives, most are dependent on their devices. With using these devices, abbreviations and linguistic shortcuts become normative to us even in daily speech. Personally, I think it is silly to use “LOL” or “OMG” during a face to face conversation, I have however, heard it PLENTY of times from friends and even coworkers. I am also a part of facebook “resale” groups where members can post pictures of items they are wishing to persuade someone to purchase. Essentially, a facebook craigslist. Well, when I first joined abbreviations such as, “EUC” (excellent used condition) and “PPU” (pending pick up) were completely foreign to me. My mother, who introduced me to the site will ask me if I saw that “blazer from Ann Taylor that was in EUC for PU in Germantown?” IN A NORMAL CONVERSATION? It takes me a moment to process the abbreviations and put together what she was saying. Tiring, really.

I agree with Baron, “The goal of an IM conversation is to get your message across..not produce an entry for an essay contest.” Exactly. IN AN IM/SMS MESSAGE. More and more people are talking in this “code” language in daily practice. Most accept this slanderous form of communication, but I however, do not support this system. In a daily conversation, you should present yourself well and when this Webspeak language is introduced to daily conversation, the presentation of the person using this communication form, does not seem presentable/professional to me.

Much life myself, Thurlow thinks texting is exaggerated and gaining much attention. I also do not understand and therefore have mixed feelings about the entire texting domain. I would much rather have a phone conversation, using normative language to get my point or message across. I hope that this “upcoming” language does not last for long, because we may have some really confused people who will need to adapt to learn this “new” language.

“Because IM is overwhelmingly informal, by the time users reach college, they tend to not put a lot of effort into monitoring what they write” (Baron, 2008 ch.4). I completely disagree with Baron’s statement. I can only speak for myself, but as a student from Middle School to now my senior year in college I always knew when and where to speak, text, and write a certain way. I have never been lost or confused about the way I should speak or write. I remember my freshmen year of college and English teachers praising my writing abilities. Mainly because my sophomore English teacher in High School stated “I do not care how you speak and write in other classes, but in my class you’re going to speak and write proper English.” That statement has followed me since then.

I also do not agree that a new language is emerging from IM and text messaging, more like the survival of the fittest. Because if you are the person speaking in IM and text language you are going to make someone else look like a genius.

The language of text/IM is more like “talking” than writing, because if you are talking to your friends you are not worried about the use of contractions. Also you are not worried about abbreviations because talking is a lot faster than text or IM and you are able to get your point across sooner.

Thurlow’s part of the article regarding webspeak or netlingo was particularly interesting to me, because it has been something that comes up regularly in my every day life. It has become a part of my life, when I am trying to type and have to read back and make sure I did not accidently use netlingo when doing something proffesional. It has definitely left an impact in our culture. It seems that these technologies for communication have become an essential feature of both popular and commercial rhetoric about new media cultures and especially of so called ‘global communications’ (Thurlow, 1-2). Webspeak has been viewed as bad, because it seems like the English language is suffering. New words are being made up in webspeak, then later turn to accepted words when talking to someone in person. Also, there is the thought that with these technologies texting is damaging the English language, as well. I am not sure what extent would I consider texting damaging to English, because I do shorthand, but I also use the autocorrect in texting, when I am not sure of how a word is spelled. It has come in handy, and sometimes backfired when it autocorrected into something you were not trying to say, and you hit send.

There is also the issue of when is it right to use acronyms, emotions, shorthanding. It is easier to shorthand when there is a shortage on time, and when you are trying to get your point across fast. But, would you shorthand your boss in an email? Maybe it depends on the type of job and relationship you have with your boss. Then there are all these acronyms that people use. If the professor asked if we knew the answer to something, would we answer IDK? Also, using emotions accompanied with our writing can direct us to the correct way to interpret the writing. Maybe you have a boss who is really strict and not the type to joke around, not to say he/she does not have a sense of humor, but they send you an email. You would probably read it as a serious email, unless there was a smiley somewhere in there, then you would change the tone of the email. So many things to think about now, but some of the things are just so familiar and part of our lives that we no longer have to think about them.