Using this article as a guide, consider the following questions. Do you identify with any of the people quoted in the article regarding how you use...

As this article
suggests, there are lots of informal rules that govern the world of texting and that, for the
most part, we are all familiar with. The idea that writing a text message completely in capital
letters suggests anger, for example, is one we all adhere to. Similarly, adding extra
punctuation, like exclamation marks, can indeed emphasize our sense of excitement or happiness
and is probably one of the most commonly accepted rules. As for the rule regarding the
"k" without punctuation, this is a relatively new one which we are not, perhaps, all
familiar with.

As the writer comments, there is a general tendency to worry
about how we are understood when we text. Given the brevity of the form, we have to be clear and
concise. Moreover, in this short style of written communication, it is almost impossible to
convey the tone of our speech. Punctuation and emojis can play a useful role in helping to
convey our tone but, as Jessica Bennett states, it can also be misunderstood and misconstrued.
It might be, for example, that there is not enough space to add the necessary punctuationbut,
for the reader, this can appear cold and unfriendly.

Over the last decade,
the rules of texting have undergone significant changes. To shorten words, for example, we used
to use the letter 8, as in "gr8" (great). Similarly, when texting first became
popular, emojis and other pictorial characters did not exist. Nowadays, emojis are almost
expected in a message.

This article suggests that it is possible to estimate
a person's age by the way he or she texts. According to Tessa Lyons, for example, her mother
uses extra ellipses in a message when she wants to appear "youthful." This implies,
then, that younger generations have different texting rules than older generations. Certainly,
in my own experience, there is a tendency for older generations to use more formal and correct
punctuation than younger people.

In terms of gender, based on my own
experiences, female friends use far more emojis and "kisses" than male friends. This,
perhaps, reflects and reinforces the stereotype that women are more caring or more emotional
than men.

Finally, on the subject of pet peeves, it is an annoyance that
people are expected to understand and adhere to the rules of texting when these rules are so
fluid and subject to change. As a result, people are often misunderstood and the text message
becomes a source of conflict or confusion. Arguably, we should accept texting for what it is: a
handy, time-saving tool for communication.