Reflection (Writing)

Growing up and going through school all I heard was that you need to have eligible writing and that you need to know how to write in cursive because when you get to high school and college and eventually get a job you will have to write everything in eligible cursive hand writing. This is not true at all! I maybe wrote something in cursive one time, my freshman year of high school, because I want to try it, not because I had to. There was a reason why my teachers made me learn cursive hand writing in elementary school. It is because they had to and they still wrote in it but times are changing and it is rare to even turn in a homework assignment, besides math, in hand writing. Everything is switching to electronics.
Electronics have changed writing forever. Everything is done through electronics now, from communication, school, and the business world and there is little need for a pen and paper anymore.
In communication, there is text messaging, instant messaging, and email. These are great tools to send and receive information quickly and effectively. Its quick because it is wireless and messages take a few seconds to get to the person receiving the message. They are effective and reliable because people can see that their message was received or not. But it is also bad, in the way of spelling and grammar. There is a new electronic language that everyone uses that is quick and easy to do but it can affect your real writing. I’m talking about new words such as “LOL,” “TTYL,” “G2G,” and other words like “wut,” “gotta,” etc. I and millions of people use these words every day. I also notice that when I write papers and assignments I tend to use them too without noticing and I have to make sure I spell check everything.
In school, papers need to be typed out in a certain format, and there are classes that teach correct email etiquette. In just about all of my class I have to turn in typed papers or email my assignments to my teacher. But all of my papers have to be in a certain format, “Times New Roman, 12 point font, double spaced with one inch margins.” It is easy because for most computers that is the default setting. Even to take notes students bring in laptops to take their notes. Also, I remember taking a computer information class in high school and college. There I was taught how to send professional emails and was told how important it was but I was also told that in elementary school, so I don’t know how important it really is going to be, especially with this trend in instant messaging and text messaging.
In the business world, everything is sent via email and instant messaging. My dad has a blackberry which he uses to send emails and text messages to his clients and coworkers. He works for a telecommunications company and tells me that things are switching to instant messaging and text messaging. Telephones are still used but I think they too will be gone. Conference calls will turn into chat rooms and everyone will text message each other rather than picking up the phone to call someone. In office buildings people don’t even get up from their cubicle to talk to a coworker 30 feet away from them, instead they just send them a message.
All I am saying is that current trends are pointing to electronics and I don’t know if it is a good thing or a bad thing. It is fast and easy but it also makes people so lazy that they can’t pick up a phone and have a nice conversation with someone or sit down and hand write in a journal but instead type out a nice long blog. And with all the typing people just may forget how to hand write, I know I don’t remember how to write in cursive.