Jeanette Joy FisherTwitter and Thinking, Writing, Speaking
I believe Twitter has changed the way I think, improved my writing skills, and influences my speech patterns. I find myself leaving out words in speaking and blog posts, writing incomplete sentences, misspelling, and assuming the reader knows what I’m talking about as if we were in a tweet conversation.
I asked this question on Twitter: Does Twitter make you think and speak in short, incomplete sentences?
My responses were as different as my tweethearts. Oh yes. Twitter words invade my conversations and writings.
This is what my followers had to say.
Loly_ru Lola
No, it makes me rethink what I want to write. If anything I am better at summarizing.
utravelwithus Five Star Travel
it does its horrible… when im on facebook i write something and its very short and i have to think and rewrite
benjaminbach Benjamin Bach
Cogent is good
M_Gagnier Marissa Gagnier
It actually makes my thoughts and convo more precise. I’ve learned to get to the point.
darlatierney Darla Tierney
No, but I find myself speaking with hashtags in emails! 😉
pampositive Pamela Allen
LOL! Yes ~RT @JeanetteJoy: Does Twitter make you think and speak in short, incomplete sentences.
AutoRevo AutoRevo
yes. yes. (ha ha, see what we did there?)
KFPhotographs Knight Finley Photo
I often say, “OMG, that was . . .” When I shockingly realize that I’ve just spoken in text speak, I forget what I was saying.
StorageMart
It makes us realize Prince was seeing the future when he gave his songs short-hand titles. #twitterspeak #textese
ProsePowr ProsePower!
Yes! & then when I have 2 write something the long way, be it FB or an email, I’m still abbrevating. Curse u Twitter!! lol
PhoneBoy no. I had problems speaking long before Twitter 🙂
Link to this article: Twitter and Thinking, Writing, Speaking https://jeanettefisher.com.s201420.gridserver.com/?p=417
Please add your comments below with your thoughts about the way Twitter has changed your thinking, writing, and speaking. I will quote you in my upcoming book. Leave your website if you would like it listed with your name and Twitter profile.
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I don’t think so. I still find people using proper sentences on twitter. I do not let twitter affect my writing in a negative manner. I use twitter for real-time news, some very good links and interact with people! Yes, but on a larger scale, people are caring less for grammar on Twitter and elsewhere. The horrible thing is, they are not bothered.
It can be really frustrating… just wish there was more than 140 characters…
Twitter is about concision. I love it for that!
I found 3 years ago when I signed up for Twitter that I had to adjust what I would say or share but then used it to connect with new people online and then in many cases in person… it’s been a great tool to use for me.
I love how Twitter has helped connect so many people… like you and me 😉
I always like your take on things Jeannette…..Thanks!
I tend to THINK in 140 characters or LESS now, LOL
Writing in as few words as possible is a useful discipline, forcing you to focus on the essence, a good skill to practise!
I wonder how this is going to affect the spelling and writing skills of the younger generation but Twitter is great and powerful.
Twitter lets me connect in short snippets – I still think in long snippets!
Journalism teaches you to edit your writing down to become very precise. The best writers are masters at this. I’m always jealous of how some of the Brits can say so much with so little. 140 character writing can be an art form. It definitely improves my precision and brevity.
Coming from the world of on-air promotion – I was already trained and ready for twitter – as I used to write promos from :30 seconds to even :03 second lengths.
I play a game with myself sometimes to see how many words I can abbreviate and get in a tweet.
Love that you captured folks’ take….love you JJ
Yes, Jeanette. Twitter is creating its own language. I think we’ll all be speaking differently soon. If not already.
In 140 characters, I can express my emotions, share something interesting, and connect with wonderful people like you 🙂
I love Twitter because I can sign and retweet some petitions from e. g. Greenpeace and connect with smart people from all over the world.
Funny thing: Last week, because of Twitter, I had a shot of this wrong thought: I will mail and ask her for her emailaddress.
Sorry for my Swenglish: Since three´s Twitter I will improve my English.
Yes and no… I spend more time working it into 140 char – I hate to see people shorten words and you try to figure out what they are saying – I don’t bother.
I tend to manage emails in 140 characters these days and that’s TOTALLY a good thing!
I guess when I first signed up for Twitter, I found it pretty hard to share something valuable in 140 chars or less. Now, I’ve gotten pretty used to it. Though lately, because of G+, seems I do spend less time using it 🙂 Great discussion to have with followers, thanks for sharing it, Jeanette!
As the saying goes, “brevity is the soul of wit.” I’m not keen on too many abbreviations, but I like that the 140 character limit forces you to get right to the point.
Or as Blaise Pascal once wrote, “If I had more time I would write a shorter letter.” (Commonly misattributed to Mark Twain.)
Funny and so true! I self-edit in a new way!!
Twitter makes communication short, effective & accessible! At least that’s what I think it’s supposed to do!
(this response was 32 characters!)
Regarding the question for me it does not make me think that way, but it does make me think really hard what message I am trying to get across as clear as possible. Thanks for sharing!
Yea I think twitter affects my writing negatively. I found myself slipping and adding “lol” or “u” instead of spelling “you” in work e-mail and creative writing! It funny though
I don’t write differently. I have to really think about how to shorten a word when I’m over on characters. Often, I can’t even figure out what my 12 year old grand daughter is trying to say 🙂
I think I over use the…a wee bit too much these days thanks to Twitter. LOL <— Oh yeah and THAT too! 😉
Great post, Jeanette! I think Twitter has taught me how to tighten my thoughts as well. It’s definitely a great tool for making yourself be concise.
I agree with you. Twitter is changing our way of the thinking, making sentences and sharing our words. 140 characters are all of our world now.
For me Twitter has made me work harder at being more concise and succinct. I see it as a plus because when it translates to blogposts, I tend to be more in point.
In twitter I often spend a couple minutes reworking a tweet to find the right words and to convey the meaning of my thought in one tweet.
I agree! The 140-character limit on tweets forces me to really distill my thoughts. This, I find, helps me to express myself more succinctly. Getting in the habit of doing this, I feel, carries over into other forms of communication.