Does technology empowering or damaging our language skills?

Question

I'm currently completing my bachelor of multimedia design (honours) and I have a big project in a group of 3 to do design research about social pattern. The key word within this has been given which is 'language'. As a result we are interested in looking at the above topic.

Why do we care about this topic? Because technology is a tool that pushes us to the more-advanced and efficient communication, but at the same time it hinders us in terms of our basic / traditional skills (e.g. writing skills, freeze our hands' ability to do hand writing etc.).

So the question is does technology empowering or damaging our language skills (spelling, writting skills, ability to? If so,why?

Answer 1

My grandmother used to manually grind coffee with a mechanical coffee grinder. My mother plugged in an electronic device to crush her beans. And i buy vacuum wrapped grinds in the supermarket.

Main point: the ways of preparing have changed over the generations, but i still drink coffee and got a hang for it. I guess the same applies to computer mediated language skills. You adapt skills and preferences to the changing techniques that makes things possible. When you live around computers, you use computers to communicate. When you live in the mud, you write with sticks in clay.

In all ways you communicate to your needs and facilities. There's no good or bad here. But some old timers who cannot reach beyond their time frame may sure think that not to be able to write in the mud is a hindering disability.

Answer 2

Well,technology has it,its positive and negative effects to us,especially cellphones most of us typing the exact words and then realize that the whole words wont fit to the limit message that you are going to send what you did is that you cut those long words so that you can minimize it or saving some peso for sending a text message and later on as you kept on doing it,you will forgot how they spell correctly since you allow it to happen because of your actions...and asides from this technology helps us to,to make our life become better,like if you have some reseach to do,you can find it and make a copy paste or simply type it ,unlike wrtting makes your hand sore from writting.

So there is advantage and disadvantage..

Answer 3

I feel that it is damaging our language. Technology is removing the need to learn how to spell and create sentence structure. The average person doesn't write letters anymore, most communication is through verbal expression or e-mail with atrocious abbreviations. I admit, I use spell check for the convenience of not having to look up something in a dictionary. I believe our reliance on technology is creating an attitude of indifference towards proper spelling, sentence structure and punctuation. We don't care as long as it gets done fast! Speed and ease of use is what is most important to the average person. Being able to edit documents like this as opposed to using a pen and paper has made life easier for many of us. Also, being able to discuss issues over a broader spectrum of people aids our creative ability.  It has allowed us to be exposed to more of the world and broadened our horizons but i don't think it is helping our overall language skills.  Good Luck with your project

Answer 4

Y R U asking this ? We don't need no stinkin' writing skills!  (kidding)

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I'm 55, and love the computer.  It's opened up worlds that are amazing.  But it's too easy to write opinions when there's not a live person to react.

I miss getting a handwritten letter in the mail.  It was a more personal interaction.  I think that horse has left the barn.

It'll be interesting to see how the younger generations communicate.  I think they're going to make new rules and there will be a different "etiquette" to it.

C U later!