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Text messaging and text speak are very popular. But they are not perfect. Have you ever received a text message and you did not know if the sender was angry or happy? Many people feel this way. It can be difficult to communicate complex ideas through written messages. It is especially difficult to communicate emotions. Text messages are very short. So communicating complex ideas and emotions through text messages is even more difficult.
Shigetaka Kurita is a computer programmer from Japan. He wanted to solve this communication problem. So in 1999, he created the first emojis. The word "emoji" means "picture character." Emojis are simple pictures that can be used in text messages. Shigetaka Kurita created emojis to help people communicate their emotions through text messages. The first emojis were only used in Japan. But now, emojis are popular all around the world. Even government officials use them, like Julie Bishop.
Text speak and emojis are popular. But not everyone likes these new forms of communication. The National Association of School Masters Union of Women Teachers, or NASUWT, is a union that represents teachers in the United Kingdom. In 2003, the NASUWT tried to ban text speak in schools. They believed students were using text speak too often. Some students even used text speak on official school tests. Tino Ferri was a leader of the NASUWT. He believed text speak in the classroom needed to stop. He told the BBC,
"I am not happy about it. It seems to be normal now. Students are not expected to use correct English."
Questioning communication changes is not new. Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press almost six hundred years ago. Because of the printing press, we now have books. But when he invented it, people wondered if it would ruin communication.
Today, we know that the printing press was a good change for communication. Some experts believe that text messaging and text speak are a good change, too. David Crystal studies language. He has written more than 100 books about the English language. Crystal thinks text messaging and text speak can help students learn. He believes they cause young people to read and write more often. They are reading and writing text messages! In a speech in Dubai, he said,
People say that text messaging will harm your spelling. No … It helps you to spell better. This is because it causes you to think about the connection between sound and letters. People say that young people do not read and write now. They may not read classic books, but have you ever seen a teenager not reading? Young people probably more than I did when I was that age.
We do not know what the future of communication will look like. But for now, emojis and text speak are very popular. And they continue to change as more people use them. Today, technology companies are creating new emojis for each culture that uses them. There are hundreds of emojis used around the world. And that number continues to grow. Some day, it may be normal to communicate using only emojis!