It is widely presumed that due to an excessive reliance on electronic devices to communicate, people nowadays, especially adolescents and young adults, fall victim to an alarming deterioration in fundamental communication skills such as reading and writing. While this notion proves to be incorrect to a certain extent, I am partially in favor of it for the following reasons.
On the one hand, using more efficient means of communication such as computers and phones does not degrade reading or writing, but rather enhances it. Indeed, modern tools have enabled more people with numerous online platforms to interact with each other, for instance when they frequently exchange written messages on social media. Regular engagement in communicative activities on the Internet trains people to be more adept at comprehending and composing content in general, as it is still written words regardless, and as the saying goes “practice makes perfect”.
On the other hand, people’s ability to read and write has been greatly impeded by the digitalization of mass media and communications. Specifically, an average user of digital gadgets is likely to engage in conversations revolving around daily life through short and highly casual texts, which are characterized by a lack of advanced vocabulary and minimal length and do not require high comprehension skills. Therefore, over-exposure to these texts may result in a declined lexicon and an inability to grasp longer passages with more academic themes or abstract ideas and rhetorics. Moreover, applications such as auto-correction of spelling errors and grammar checkers simplify the writing process for users, leading them to develop writing improficiency.
In conclusion, while one’s communication skills may improve by sending text messages, one must recognize the irreversible damage to young adults’ reading and writing due to the nature of such messages and their growing dependence on assistance from digital devices.