A rant about internet grammar…

Maybe it’s due to the shorter attention spans of today’s youngsters, or even the advent of instant messengers and texting via cell phones, but is anyone else beside me a bit dismayed by the decline in basic writing skills on the internet? I certainly am.

While my grammar isn’t perfect, I am a bit of a perfectionist regarding spelling, punctuation and grammar. Seeing the way some internet users post on internet forums or using instant messengers (especially those who are grown adults, who should know better) is disturbing enough, but I find it even more disturbing that today’s youths, well entrenched in school, communicate like this. It makes me wonder how literate of a society we are when these kids can’t even spell simple words or construct basic sentences. While I’m sure some of them can, how would we know? Wait until they get out into the working world, and see how far this type of communcation gets them. I rank it right up there with body piercing and tattoos in ensuring job marketability in the future.