So I’m a single girl nearly in her thirties with a college degree, a full time job, and back in school. Perhaps I lack the wherewithal to fully understand the text message. Especially when I consider most of my friends and I did not own cell phones until college and text messages have crescendoed from there. However, I have a bone to pick with men and the use of this dialogue.
It seems that puberty has gone in reverse. That men no longer understand that the use of the expression “LOL” or “☺” is not seen as attractive, but rather as if I am now texting a little brother. As I look at my phone I see an epidemic of these emoticons and text jargon, which honestly puts me off. If we have a conversation via text message and it amounts to 20 messages, do I need 10 smiley faces. And furthermore, the remaining ten of those messages I wrote. Do I really need text messages to contain smiley faces and exclamation points? Are we in middle school again?
Perhaps this seems hypercritical and another “rule” which men need to follow, but straight men of Portland would you text another straight man and add a smiley face to your text? You see my point. Whatever you think that smiley face adds, it doesn’t. And “LOL,” really? I have come to a point that if LOL is found in text messages to cringe. I also debate whether or not I could date someone who uses this language. We are grown ups. We did not grow up with the generation who created this jargon. Why are we adopting it as adults?