Chat Lingo

Throughout the history of schooling, there has always been one thing that irritates teachers, distracts students, and overall is one of the most common "school sins" one could commit: Passing notes. Way back when, Mary would scratch her love note into her slate, and chuck it at Larry. If it didn't send him into a comatose state, her message would be read. (If of course by some miracle the teacher didn't hear the scratching or the thud when it landed.) Later it became scribbling down on a piece of paper and passing it as fast as one could before the teacher turned back around. When the Internet came around, you would send emails, and bit by bit, tired typers decided to shorten most of what they said. And thus begins Chat Lingo.

Insights on Chat Lingo

Quotable quotes

"The Internet is so big, so powerful and pointless that for some people it is a complete substitute for life." Andrew Brown

"The Internet: transforming society and shaping the future through chat." Dave Barry

"Working with Yahoo! allows us to give our fans a chance to listen to our songs, check out the video, purchase our New album, win tickets to our show, and chat with us all in one place." Isaac Hanson

"I'm fortunate in that I'm a lecturer too and this gets me out and AbOUT and away from the computer. I also have loads of friends all around the world, plus a core group of special people in my life that I can lean on, chat to, or just hang with." Paul Kane

"I think the Internet, particularly the availability of information, is great. I do a lot of correspondence on-line and have a chat line to talk to my fans as well." Anne McCaffrey

Any other quotes about the internet, email, or internet chatting is very welcome!!!

Statistics

(The following text (The titles of sections are an exeption) is copied as written from the site listed below as Study A) New Study Reveals 14% of Teens Have Had Face-to-Face Meetings with People They’ve Met on the Internet Children’s Advocate John Walsh, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and Cox Communications Announce Results of Teen Internet Survey and Tools to Help Parents and Guardians Take Charge of Web Use in the Home ATLANTA – New research by Cox Communications in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) reveals teens are engaging in risky behavior online but that parents and guardians can have an impact on that behavior. One-third of teens surveyed say they are considering meeting face-to-face with someone they’ve met from the Internet and 14% say they’ve already had such an encounter. While many teens are sharing personal information online and putting themselves in potentially harmful situations, the survey results show that when parents and guardians talk to their teens about Internet safety, their exposure to potential threats decline and they make safer online decisions. Key findings: Teen Internet use and attitudes about safety present potential risks, but they also reveal opportunities for education and highlight a critical role for watchful parents and guardians:

ONLINE BEHAVIOR

• 61% of 13- to 17-year-olds have a personal profile on a site such as MySpace, Friendster, Facebook, or Xanga. Half have also posted pictures of themselves online.
• 71% reported receiving messages online from someone they don’t know.
• 45% have been asked for personal information by someone they don’t know.
• 30% have considered meeting someone that they’ve only talked to online.
• 14% have actually met a person face-to-face they they’ve only spoken to over the Internet (9% of 13-15s; 22% of 16-17s).
• 40% reported that they’ll usually reply and chat with that person.
• Only 18% said they’ll tell an adult.

WHAT TEENS THINK OF THE INTERNET'S SAFETY

• 20% of teens report that it is safe (i.e. “somewhat” or “very safe”) to share personal information on a public blog or networking site.
• As well, 37% of 13- to 17-year-olds said they are “not very concerned” or “not at all concerned” about someone using information they’ve posted online in ways they don’t want.

WHAT TEENS THINK ABOUT THEIR PARENT'S AWARENESS

• 33% of 13- to- 17-year-olds reported that their parents or guardians know “very little” or “nothing” about what they do on the Internet.
  • 48% of 16-17s said their parents or guardians know “very little” or “nothing”
• Fully 22% of those surveyed reported their parents or guardians have never discussed Internet safety with them.
• On the other hand, 36% of youth—girls and younger teens most notably—said that their parents or guardians have talked to them “a lot” about online safety, and 70% said their parents or guardians have discussed the subject with them during the past year.

(The following text (The titles of sections are an exeption) is copied as written from the site below listed as Study B) Parents’ Internet Monitoring Study Prepared for Cox Communications and The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and NetSmartz by the Ketchum Global Research Network • National telephone survey conducted among 503 parents of teens • Interviews conducted February 7-13, 2005 • Respondents were screened to meet the following criteria: – Have a child between the ages of 13-17 – Have at least one computer in the home with Internet access • Research conducted by Braun Research

KEY FINDINGS

• The family room (34%) and the bedroom (30%) are the top two areas where teens access the Internet. – 41% of households that have one computer keep it in the family room. – 61% of households that have three or more computers have at least one of them in a bedroom. • Over half (51%) of parents either do not have, or do not know if they have, software on their computer(s) that monitors where their teenager(s) go online and with whom they interact. • Nearly 9 out of 10 families (87%) who have Internet monitoring software review where their teenagers have been online and with whom they have communicated. – Although 23% of parents review their teens’ online activities via monitoring software on a daily basis, one-third (33%) of parents review this information once a month or less. • Almost half (49%) of parents either do not have, or do not know if they have, software on their computer that blocks specific websites or key words. • 61% of parents say their teen(s) participate in chat rooms and/or use instant messaging. – 72% of parents say their teenager(s) do not instant message with people other than family, school friends or people they personally know. • A majority of parents (57% or more) were unable to correctly decipher the meanings of several common Internet messaging abbreviations.

Examples Throughout History

When you really consider it, you can see that passing notes has been a very influential part of history. From the Zimmermann Telegram to Paul Revere's ride to warn America about the British, notes have been both dangerous, and lifesaving.

Paul Revere

Paul Revere rode from Boston through Lexington to Concord to rally the news: "The British are Coming!" He never made it to Concord, but his message rang clear.

The Zimmermann Telegram

The Zimmerman Telegramwas a telegram sent to Mexico from Germany trying to bribe them into becoming their ally during World War I.

The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence was the document that announced America as a free country.

Being Aware of Internet Safety

It is extremely important for teens and their parents who use the internet for chatting and relationship purposes to know the dangers of using the Internet. As seen in the Studies shown earlier, many teens do not realize how much danger they could be, or even are in. Here are some sites that will help parents, teachers, and authorities to teach teens about Internet safety.

• Internet Content Rating Association
• SafeSurf
• CyberSmart
• Find More sites here!!!

List of Chat Lingo

Notes

This article was originally written by Melinda Matthews.

References

• abbreviation chart
• Brow
• Barry
• Hansem
• Kane
• McCaffrey
• Study A
• Study B