An online message written in capital letters may look like “aggressive“, Almost intimidating. Indeed, there are different grammatical rules on the web, which often lead to a generational clash between young people and adults.
The site Skuola.net he wrote, with Alessia Giandomenicoa very active teacher on social networks, a guide to limiting bad impressions.
For the youngest, it is synonymous with he shouts, anger and, in general, unmotivated aggression. For adults, it's a way to express themselves online – perhaps to get noticed – or, more simply, a bad habit writing. The fact is that, in the digital domain, the use of “all capital letters» – technically called Caps Lock – marks a deep divide between the Zedders, the Alphas and previous generations.
The latter in fact seem not to have understood the transition from physical to digital media. Ignoring, among other things, the web netiquettethat is, that set of unwritten rules that govern a user's behavior on the Internet. With the result of appearing, often, “out of time»: unsurprisingly, this is precisely theabuse of capital letters – as well as that of punctuation – consists of one of characteristic features the so-called “baby boomers“.
And so, amid the feud between the old digital natives and the young web veterans, here comes the Caps Lock Day (October 22), a day that makes fun of the senseless use of capital letters and makes us think about the way we communicate in the digital world.
And it is precisely this last objective that the Skuola.net portal has set itself, involving Alessia Giandomenico – an Italian teacher who has thousands of followers on social networks – to develop the definitive manual for the correct use upper and lower case letters when you are online. A guide suitable for everyoneeven to the youngest, who are not free from writing errors on and off the web.
Caps Lock Day was created to make fun of the abuse of capital letters online. What are the most common examples?
“On social media, entire posts are written in capital letters to attract attention or express strong emotions. Capital letters are used in emails to emphasize the urgency or importance of a message, often appearing aggressive. Leave comments or reviews in capital letters to highlight opinions or experiences that may be perceived as shouting.”
This way of writing is often associated with an aggressive tone or a symbolic “raising one’s voice.” Are there alternatives to expressing emphasis, anger or urgency without using capital letters (in the digital world)?
“Definitely. One of many examples is the use of punctuation. You can use multiple exclamation or question marks (e.g. “Really?!?”) to convey emotion without appearing aggressive. You can then use bold or italics to emphasize words or phrases to pay attention to (e.g. important or urgent).
Another alternative is offered to us by the beloved emoji, which can help us express our emotions in a visual and less aggressive way (e.g. anger).
Other solutions also include using words and phrases that clearly convey the desired tone (e.g. “I'm very disappointed” instead of “I'M DISAPPOINTED”) or “partial capitalization” or the use of all capital letters only for individual keywords (e.g. “This is really IMPORTANT”).
On the other hand, however, what are the emotional implications for those who receive a “shouted” message? How do you feel?
“Often a message in all caps can seem harsh or intimidating. This can therefore lead to confusion, because the tone of the message can be misunderstood. But also irritation, because many people find it boring to read texts in capital letters. Finally, there may be a feeling of attack, as the use of capital letters can make the recipient feel like they are being targeted or harshly criticized.
Another sign of aggression (passive-aggressive) is ending a message with a period. Why does it look like that?
“The last dot can seem as “aggressive” as the capital letter because in text messages, its use can seem too formal and detached, creating a feeling of coldness. Additionally, the delay can give the impression of an abrupt and definitive closure, as if the sender does not wish to continue the conversation. Additionally, since it is now common to omit the full stop in text messages, when it is used, ironically it can seem like the sender is emphasizing the message in a negative way.
Coming back to Caps Lock Day, in traditional written language, the use of capital letters has precise rules. But on social networks, certain “patterns” seem outdated: are we confronted with two different languages?
“Yes, we can say that the language used on social networks has developed its own rules and conventions, often different from those of traditional written language. In fact, there are obvious differences: On social media, users tend to be more creative and flexible in their use of capitalization, punctuation, and grammar to express their emotions and personality.
Additionally, the use of emoticons and emojis is much more common on social media, adding a visual and emotional layer that doesn't exist in traditional written language. Abbreviations (e.g. “LOL”, “OMG”) are therefore widely used to save space and time, whereas in traditional language we tend to avoid these forms.
More generally, the tone on social media is generally more informal and conversational, reflecting the way people speak in everyday life, and communication on social media is often quicker and more immediate, with less attention to detail. formal accuracy and greater emphasis on speed and immediacy of communication. answer. These differences therefore lead us to consider the language of social media as a form of communication distinct from traditional language, with its rules and conventions.
Basically, it is an endless generational war between baby boomers and young people that is emerging, particularly online. The former being much more inclined to give in to bad practices. What are the reasons for this linguistic “misalignment”?
“The linguistic “misalignment” between generations can be attributed to various factors, first and foremost writing habits. In fact, “baby boomers” grew up using typewriters and paper documents, where the use of capital letters was often necessary to emphasize titles or important sections. As a result, they transferred this habit to digital without taking into account the new conventions.
Additionally, while young people are digital natives and have developed a specific language for online communication, which includes the use of emojis, abbreviations and a more informal tone, adults have not been as agile to adapt to these new forms of communication.
Another factor is the perception of capital letters, because for adults their use can mean “expressing urgency or importance”, without realizing that this can be perceived as aggressive or rude in the digital context.
In conclusion, younger generations tend to quickly develop and adopt new linguistic and cultural trends, while older generations may be slower to change established habits. These factors therefore contribute to creating a linguistic gap between generations. »
In addition to the cases already mentioned, there are many grammatical errors in online language. Some are typical of older people, others are more comparable to very young people. Which are the most popular?
“The most common mistakes among baby boomers may be: excessive use of ellipses, often used to indicate a pause or unfinished thought; or the abuse of excessive capitalization and formal courtesy formulas, out of context. For example, phrases like “Sincerely” or “Regards” are common in emails, but may seem out of place in text messages or on social media. Without finally forgetting textual emoticons: the “ancestors” of graphic emoji.
Among young people, however, the most common mistakes are: excessive abbreviations, inappropriate use of emojis and lack of punctuation in sentences. Young people very often omit punctuation in text messages, which can make the message less clear. Finally, even the use of jargon or slang terms that change quickly can create barriers of understanding between generations.
In the educational field, what are the risks of a “divide” between online writing and traditional writing? Are there consequences for learning grammar?
“The consequences on grammatical learning, and not only that, cannot be ignored. The “split” between online and traditional writing has led primarily to the decline of formal grammar, as the frequent use of abbreviations, slang formulas, and unconventional punctuation creates less attention to traditional grammatical rules. Additionally, students no longer have the ability to distinguish informal language used online from formal language required in academic or professional contexts.
Another consequence is that online communication tends to be short and concise, which can reduce students' ability to develop and articulate complex thoughts in written form.
Additionally, the habit of reading short, fragmented texts online can negatively impact your ability to understand and analyze longer, more complex texts.
The “orthographic consequence” is then inevitable. The use of automatic correctors and lack of attention to spelling in text messages leads to more and more frequent spelling errors.
