Why does everyone abbreviate things online?

Question

Have we lost all forms of proper communication or can no one spell correctly? I don't know what the abbreviations mean half the time.

And how does everyone but me know what they mean?

Answer 1

Sometimes people want to answer more questions, so they wanna type faster, and they use abbreviations to answer questions faster. Take me, for example, usually I abbreviate things, but this past year I won the Spelling UIL contest. People just want to make things go quicker by abbreviating. And about you being the only one not to understand them, sometimes it's just because most people that use/understand abbreviations are people that use the computer more or people that instant message. Pretty soon, you'll start to understand abbreviations as well. No big, don't worry about it.

Answer 2

When you spend a lot of time typing online, you learn to appreciate the abbreviations. And we abbreviate when we speak using contractions, slang, etc. It's just another way to communicate.

Answer 3

The common argument is that everyone is so rushed that they cannot be bothered to type the entire word.

Sadly, this causes a breakdown in communication when people who do not have a degree in cryptography (like myself) cannot tell what the hell they are talking about and automatically assume that the person posting is of below-average intelligence.

Answer 4

It is easier to abbreviate things online since we are trying to get our message quickly across to the other person. I don't think the intention is to sabotage the English language.

Answer 5

Its called laziness. Unfortunately, too much of our society is lazy and takes little pride in everything they do, including abbreviating online. Or, it could be they're just uneducated, as appears from the poor grammar and spellling I've seen in so many of these answers.

Answer 6

People abbreviate because its easier to type then typing the entire word.

Answer 7

I don't do that, but I can understand it, just like I don't use slang that much when I speak, but I can still understand it. This is called like "Computer Talk". It is much faster and easier to write and if you keep coming online and asking what these things mean, soon others will be asking you what they mean.

Answer 8

I would think it started with comp geeks. It has spread to the real world more n more too. It is getting to be quite the thing to come up with a title for something that can be appreviated to something quircky. Its more of "lets see what we can shorten to show how smart we are".

Answer 9

For a list of abbreviations, look here:

http://www.pulpchat.com/faq/faq215.php

Answer 10

Another way of butchering the English language to make the coming generations lazier and ignorant.