Michael Cullington's Essay Does Texting Affect Writing?

Texting is ubiquitous in modern Western society. It's a convenient way to communicate basic ideas quickly without having to commit to a phone conversation or the long wait for a letter. All of this is done through cellular phones on the go and many teenagers have subscribed to this method of communication as their primary one. When texting, it is customary to abbreviate certain words in order to save time. These abbreviations can be considered a language that evolves out of texting, and that language can be referred to as textspeak. The influence of textspeak on teenagers' writing is a polarising concept with both fans and critics of texting weighing their opinions. In her essay, "Does Texting Affect Writing?", Michaela Cullington, a previous student of Marywood University in Pennsylvania, outlines her investigation into whether or not texting affects writing. Cullington analyzes the critiques of texting and why critics believe that texting has a detrimental affect on teenager writing. Along with the critics,

It showed that students do not believe textspeak is appropriate in formal writing assignments. They recognize the difference between texting friends and writing formally and know what is appropriate in each situation. This was proven true in the student samples, in which no examples of textspeak were used" (Cullington 367). In order words, Cullington's research showed that there is little effect on writing ability from texting. She collected sample essays and found no evidence of textspeak. This, along with her own anecdotal experience, lead her to the conclusion that texting is not something to be afraid of by teachers because it does not harm students' writing abilities. The abbreviations have the purpose of speeding up the process of typing, and as long as expecatations about writing assignments are clear there would be no