The symptom or the cause?

Question

I've noticed that people who do a lot online tend to have horrible spelling. Is that because more stupid people are online than not, or because being online makes you more stupid as to language?

Answer 1

Very good question, I have noticed the same thing and it applies to grammar as well.

I think it is a combination of things, partly our education system sucks and partly they just don't care.

Answer 2

As more people get online, you will get more view points coming from more walks of life. Many SMART people cannot spell. Dyslexics for example, will usually spell phonetically. I, myself, only misspell words when my fingers get faster than my brain (hte or teh are common) or when I acknowledge that I am unsure of the word.

Many times people don't re-read what they have typed so they don't catch the typos....or they simply don't care enough to correct them.

Also, some of the people you talk to online aren't from the same country you are so you'll get different tones and dialects. An Englishman might say "boot" when he means the American version "trunk" of a car (or vise versa). And someone using a translator won't use article (a, an or the) in their conversation or their translations may be more literal.

And yes, a lot of stupid people can't spell. But trust me...those that can't spell....usually can't spell in the real world either.

Answer 3

Well, it is my personal experience that in this country most people don't know how to spell english.
I know a Harvard graduate who told me that the University asked him to make a survey about graduates to see how they were doing in their lives. He told me that the president of a corporation told him: "Do you know how many people in this corporation can write a letter in english ?
The secretary and myself, because not even the vicepresidents know

Answer 4

Lazy to click 'check spelling'