When I first started looking at possibilities for my paper, I found it hard to narrow my topic. I found that both my interests and the range of areas composition encompasses are extensive. Although I find the numerous roles new and changing technologies play in regards to how we compose and process information compelling. I also find myself interested in new methods of composition instruction in today’s multilingual world.
In regards to recent technological developments, there are many reasons why I am interested in this particular field of research. While I was growing up, I saw the internet evolve from the early days of Usenet to the complex World Wide Web we use today. Discourse has developed from primitive message boards to the complex and varied formats found on blogs, social networking sites (such as Friendster, Myspace, and Facebook), online news sites and journals, and instant messaging services. The amount of users accessing the internet has grown from thousands to over a billion (1), resulting in a wide variety cultures contributing to dialogue on the internet.
The means by which news is reported has changed dramatically in the past decade. A recent poll (2) shows almost half of Americans view the internet as their primary news source. Other interesting aspects of this study include: very few Americans consider blogs reliable, three in four Americans believe the internet has improved the quality of journalism, and 69% of Americans believe that media companies have become too large and powerful to allow for competition. I find it interesting that although many people are looking to the internet for reliable news, most of them do not trust blogs. Given that many news websites are run by the same media companies who broadcast, I find it very interesting that people believe news websites to be more reliable. Is it because it is written, as opposed to being read by plastic haired anchormen? Or is it the seemingly “independent” nature of the internet itself?
Another aspect of technology I am interested in is the numerous changes brought about by advancements in the internet, both in the manner and the speed information is processed. The progress and growth of online games can be attributed to this. The first multiplayer role-playing games were simple text based games known as MUDS. These games usually utilized the Telnet application, and consisted of worlds described in written text. Users would type in commands and dialogue, all the while exploring the world. With high speed internet came graphic games, such as Ultima Online, and the extremely popular World of Warcraft. These games have their own vocabularies, full of acronyms and slang. I thought about looking at the new dialect that is developing; it occurred to me that it may be linked to internet (and youth) slang in general.
Similarly, The Las Vegas Review Journal article “Dis maks my teacha cry” (3) interested me with its treatment of an emerging written vernacular. Although the educators interviewed in the article agree that the practice of using text speak in academic writing isn’t widespread, I would be curious as to if it will become more common in the future. Furthermore, I wonder if there is a discernable difference in the results a written vernacular (such as those found in online games and text messaging) has on student’s writings. Would the fact it is written influence them more or less? One segment of the article that I found especially revealing was the fact that “under the pressure of taking the timed English portion of the state exams, students may accidentally revert to the conventions of textspeak even when they know it's not appropriate.” This, in addition to the fact that teachers have noted freshman tend to revert to textspeak more often than older students, suggests to me that this is the beginning of a trend.
Although the issue of nonstandard dialects rises from different foundations than texting and internet vernaculars, they share some features in common. In “Students struggle to leave dialects at home”(4), the issue of teaching students who use nonstandard dialects at home is discussed. As someone who is interested in applied linguistics, I would like to focus on methods identifying problems and features in these students’ writings, and techniques for teaching these students. I am also interested in how nonstandard spoken and written dialects can relate to written dialects (such as textspeak and others).
1. Internet World Stats, http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
2. Zogby Poll: 67% View Traditional Journalism as "Out of Touch", http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1454
3. “Dis maks my teacha cry”, http://www.lvrj.com/living/15833917.html
4. Students struggle to leave dialects at home, http://www.montereyherald.com/state/ci_8294134
1 comment:
Stephanie, I think the subject of text messaging as language/literacy is very new and interesting. The area may be so new that you'll basically have to start by seeing what you can find on the subject of texting/text messaging and language/literacy/writing.
I used Webcampus to e-mail you an article that studied instant messaging writing practices. Some of the references are to code switching. Perhaps this will help you develop some keywords and ideas to focus your project.
I also went to the MLA Bibliography (you can access through library journals) and typed in "text messaging" as a search term and saw a few articles (you'll have to figure out how many varient of "text messaging" and "instant messaging" apply.
While it may not be directly applicable, I remember someone reviewing a book called Personal, Portable, Pedestrian: Mobile Phones in Japanese Life (Eds. Mizuko Ito, Daisuke Okabe, and Misa Matsuda. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press., 2005). This book give you some context.
A lot of composition/writing research often is interdisciplinary in that it looks to other fields to help inform thinking about writing and writing development. If you want to study text messaging as a form of literacy, you may have to look to other fields and then think of how it fits in the context of literacy development and adult writers (including school and/or workplace.)
I'll be interested to see what sources you find on this topic.
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