the problem with our society

one word: texting.

seriously. i feel like texting (and technology in general) is taking over society. it's like a sick disease. it slowly eats away our grammar, punctuation, spelling, and our ability to communicate by actually talk face to face with people. it makes me sick just thinking about any of these scenarios. really, though, it's a serious problem. granted, yes, it does have it's pros but, in my opinion, the cons are much more severe. people, get help! oh, and let's not forget the texting lingo that could get me on a soap box for hours. i won't go there, for your sake. then there's the cute little emoticons that can change the entire context of a text. the most commonly used ones: the smiley face.

:) the average smiley: 1. could mean that what the person said actually made you smile and since they cannot see your reaction, you use this little guy. 2. you feel bad and want to look like you care about the conversation so you use this as a filler. 3. you don't know how to use words. so, you use the smiley to fill in for the words you don't know how to use.

:( the frowny face: 1. that made me sad. 2. i'm disappointed. 3. i want to send you on a guilt trip. simple enough.

;) the winky face: or as i call it: the flirty face. woah, baby, if you're using this you better be sending this to the opposite gender. otherwise, it could be very awkward. this simple face can completely turn around the context of the text. exhibit a: "want to come watch a movie?" exhibit b: "want to come watch a movie? ;)" exhibit b says that you are very excited about this "movie watching" in which there will probably be very little watching. so, please, be very careful when using this face.

The wrong usage of words:

I don't know how many times I can say this: there is a difference between the homophones: they're, their, there, you're, your, to, too, two. please take a moment and read the difference between them and how to correctly use them.

there: a place. "we're going there tonight." "look over there."

their: possessive. used for a group of individuals or things. "that box is theirs" "their hair is so cute!"

they're: they are. seriously, people, this one is not hard at all! "they're(there are)different uses for these words." "they're(they are)going to sing a song."

your: a form of possessiveness. "is that cat yours?"  "i like your idea"

you're: you are. "you're(you are)the one that i want!" "you're(you are)too cute."

to: used to expressing a motion or direction. "from sea to shining sea." "i work from 6 to 9."

too: in addition; also; furthermore; to an excessive extent. "i want to go, too(also)." "you've have too(an excessive amount)much ice cream."

okay, i'll be off my soap box, for today. but, really, try very, very hard to learn these and use them correctly. those are just my definitions, i'm sure dictionary.com has much better definitions that are able to better understand. the world would be a better place if everyone knew had to use them. for now, we will start with small steps.

is it a little hypocritical that i didn't capitalize anything throughout this post while criticizing others about correct punctuation, grammar, spelling, and correct usage of words?

perhaps.

however, with all of my pet peeves about texting; i think that 'auto correct' can be freakin' hilarious and totally take a 360 on the conversation.