Through the advancements in technology, nearly everyone in this age no longer needs to be face-to-face to communicate. This allows for efficiency and comfort, but at a cost. Any user can agree that there are messages that have been lost in translation.
People’s tendencies toward efficiency on the one hand, and laziness on the other, have led to progress and problems in communication. Take the word “okay,” for example. According to the Oxford Dictionary, okay is “used to express assent, agreement, or acceptance.” This single word offers so much utility in everyday communications. Shortening the word in half and simply writing “OK” relays the same message with even more simplicity.
However, where does it end? For example, some teenagers have shortened OK even more to “K.” The abbreviations commonly found in language today might not be able to be deciphered even by our parents’ generation. Abbreviations are, of course, meant to simplify, not complicate or confuse.
Valeria Lee, Grade 10
Glendale High School
Glendale, Calif.
