Why is it considered to be rude when a person writes an e-mail message all in capital letters?

Question

I have heard that writing in capitals online is like yelling. Is that it? Or is there some other reason? How did this "rule" get started anyways?

Answer 1

Here is why it is RUDE!

Nearly all writing is in mixed upper and lower case. Lower case is much more significantly shown. When you read a document that is in lower case, you can actually read it much faster. When you read faster, you gain more understanding. Reading ALL UPPER CASE is slower and more difficult. In fact, so slow, that at times you lose the meaning of what is written.

Aside from the fact that it makes the sender look like an IDIOT, using Upper Case only does not help that person's cause if it is harder to read. Using upper case once in a while to accentuate a point is a good idea. But when you are already using UPPER CASE, you simply can't shout any louder.

Most emails are written quickly and without care. Poorly written emails often portray the wrong meaning. In fact, any negative news can add a negative overtone to the whole thing.

Many lawyers know this, and use Microsoft Word to write their email first. They print it out, and proof read it for total accuracy. Then they will use COPY and PASTE to send out an email that is more useful to the reader and their relationship. Basically, with the thought that "Email is Evil", you will resist the temptation of spreading bad news.

Writing is a skill that we all need. The Chicago Manual of Style ISBN: 0226104036 is what we should all be learning in school. (not just a dictionary).

Answer 2

Yes, it's considered rude and the same as yelling or, in a forum like Yahoo Answers, trying to 'shout down' the competition. It appears the writer is trying to make their message stand out from the crowd by using larger type rather than getting noticed by typing something intelligent or otherwise respectable. It seems that the less intelligent or self-assured the source, the more likely they are to leave the caps-lock key on. (It happens a lot on the news discussion boards).

The rules are generally accepted "netiquette", based on the rules of etiquette (politeness), which have been developed over the years.

Answer 3

This actually is a form of elitism dating back several decades. Competing companies were using different coding systems with IBM using a 6 bit code that did not allow for lower case characters but got to the other end much faster, while the the Univac people went with 7 bit code that allowed a larger character set but took longer. Even back then there was interconnections between systems so that a message sent from an IBM system to a Univac system would of course be in all caps. It only took one salesman to point out how RUDE IBM was and the rest is history!

Answer 4

That's exactly the reason. It is considered "yelling."

It's been around a really long time, but I don't know how it started. Probably someone just didn't like the idea of capital letters cause it seemed harsh.

Hope that helps.

Answer 5

First of all, it's considered shouting, and shouting is rude.

Second, capital letters are difficult to read. The human mind interprets lowercase writing much easier than uppercase. It also "looks" better and has a more fluid aesthetic. Think of every book, magazine, article, or otherwise lengthy writing you've ever seen... no one uses all caps for anything other than titles or single words.

I CAN CONTINUE TO PROVE MY POINT BY TYPING THE REST OF THIS ANSWER IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. I DON'T THINK I CAN GO ON LONG ENOUGH FOR YOU TO BE TRULY ANNOYED WHILE READING THIS, BUT IT IS QUITE ANNOYING. PEOPLE WHO TYPE IN ALL CAPS NOT ONLY ARE LAZY, BUT ARE DISRESPECTFUL AS WELL. THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THE GENERAL ETIQUETTE OF THE ONLINE COMMUNITY.

PLEASE, DON'T TYPE IN ALL CAPS. PEOPLE HATE IT, I HATE IT AND, WELL, IT MAKES YOU SEEM DUMB.

Answer 6

Writing in capitals online is like yelling and it's impolite. It is very rude because you type in capital letters is actually just like scolding someone.

Answer 7

Capital letters are considered talking loudly and italics are for emphasis. It's just a universal thing. If you I'm some one and they're not comprehending what your saying and making you mad, you'll reply to them in capital letters, maybe even bold if you're mad enough. Maybe it's human nature. With all this tech going on, I wouldn't be surprised if this was studied and put in psychology books in 10 years.

Answer 8

I belive writing in Bold is rude and obnoxious. My husband writes in caps because he is not key board literate. Instead of him pressing shift to capitalize a letter, he just use caps. I think he`s cute when
he`s typing.

Answer 9

It's considered to be yelling. We actually have a policy at my work, you may not type in all caps, it's considered shouting.

Answer 10

It's called "shouting". I'm guilty of it sometimes because I forget to turn caps lock off. Sometimes I use it to emphasize a point.