Texting really is a different beast from a real-life conversation. Both have their own quirks and can be misinterpreted, but more misunderstandings probably stem from messaging. Text alone often doesn't give us all the context we need to correctly interpret a message. That's why emojis, GIFs, memes, and even initialisms like "lol" can be of great help in deciphering the meaning of a text.
A recent study found that people respond more positively to teasing in text when there is a visual element to it. Essentially, if you're teasing anyone and end your message with "hahaha" or "lmao," sometimes people might get offended. The researchers observed that texts with winking emojis or similar visuals were interpreted more positively by people.
When you type a message, Pandas, how much attention do you pay to proper grammar and punctuation? According to a recent survey, only one in four people born between the years 1995 and 2015 use full stops, capital letters, quotation marks, and commas. Older people, on the other hand, are much more likely to use correct grammar; half of the respondents of that study who were older adhered to grammar, spelling, and punctuation rules.
Other researchers have found that using periods at the end of a sentence is perceived as passive-aggressive and negative. People are much more likely to react positively to the same message without a period at the end. For example, a simple "Maybe" is seen as casual, albeit ambiguous. However, a "Maybe." is less enthusiastic and might signal to people that the sender may be angry. "The period can serve a rhetorical, rather than a grammatical, function in text messages," the researchers concluded.
Many people find it hard to interpret text messages correctly. Emojis, GIFs, and initialisms are akin to facial expressions when we communicate face-to-face. According to Katherine Lucey, a Communication M.A. at Georgetown University, messages with text only are often perceived as rude.
"Text messages that are pure content are all business, just an instant communication of needs to another person who could be in any place and engaged in any activity," she writes. "Without explicit markers of tone, such a message is bold and possibly disconcerting, and not at all analogous to face-to-face conversation, in which politeness is paramount."
Punctuation and overuse of "dry" text in messaging aren't the only faux pas a texter might accidentally commit; nowadays, people are less and less tolerant of abbreviations. Back in the 2000s, "idk," "brb," and "omw" were a novelty – who had the time to type out complete words and phrases on their Nokia 3210? But today, using such abbreviations is seen as insincere. According to a 2024 study, people see the use of abbreviations in texting as signs that the author doesn't care.
This is an interesting finding, since abbreviations never did go out of style. Millennials used their preferred ones like "YOLO" and "SMH," and Gen Z has come up with their own speak, using abbreviations such as "ijbol" and "frfr." Yet, the researchers found that those who used abbreviations were less likely to receive a reply. Essentially, people view the use of abbreviations as a lack of effort: if you can't type out the phrase or word, why are you even texting me?
That doesn't mean that using abbreviations is always a big no-no. According to the lead author of the study, a doctoral student at Stanford University, David Fang, people should hold off on abbreviations until they've built a rapport with the other person. "Our findings are especially relevant when we want to appear more sincere and strengthen social ties, such as at the beginning of a relationship or when we need to make a good impression," he explained.
