XD

An interesting concept from the reading is Lee's idea of e-mail etiquette and language. I love that e-mail allows us to be more casual when we are talking to others and that we can say pretty much whatever we want without being interrupted. As Lee says, "Like other forms of specialized language, jargon helps create and define e-mail communities, and new members embrace the lingo as signs of belonging." Jargon is one of the best parts about e-mail! Shortening words, using smiley faces, creating slang... it's a great way to express yourself when it comes to cyberspace. One of the first things I learned when entering the online world was "LOL." Everyone knows what this symbol means and it has become a natural part of the language of our generation. Once while looking up internships online an employer even said, "Please no LOL's in your cover letter! YES, it has happened!" Because of the way e-mail and instant messaging has allowed users to be as casual as possible online, when there comes a time for a more formal situation, users don't know how to act! People have begun saying "LOL" when nothing is even funny. Some even say it out loud during face-to-face communication! It has become an internet habit... and an unavoidable one.
The only problem that I have come across when it comes to e-mail jargon is that sometimes you cannot figure out what a symbol means or you are speaking to someone who does not know what something means. For example... for the longest time I thought that XD stood for something. I seriously had no idea what. I couldn't figure it out because I could only see the letters. Then one day it struck me... DUH! It's a smiley face! I never thought about Lee's idea "That is, emoticons are literate symbols with no grounding in oral language. Hence, we read them sideways, in a different axis from verbal text." Now of course I see that XD is a big goofy smile and feel like an idiot for never realizing it before. From now on when I don't understand what something means on the internet I will be sure to look at it from a different perspective.

Listening to: Radiohead- 15 Steps