answer the call...

answer the call... 

   Ignoring someone we don't want to talk to has never been easier!

  HUH?  What's up with that?

   Back in the 50s, parents competed with television to get their teenager's attention.  Teens and adults were mesmerized by this relatively new innovation that had been first seen by the masses at the 1939 New York World's Fair. 

  The transistor radio was the most popular media device of the 50s and 60s and millions of teens walked around with the first battery powered music maker in their hands.  The sound was loud enough to effectively block out any adult who tried to enter the teen's zone.  

  By 1979, Sony put an end to all two-way conversation between teens and parents when they introduced the Walkman with lightweight headphones.  

  Of course, any teen going to his or her bedroom and closing the door is an effective conversations stopper too.  

  But, it's the digital age of this century which has caused widening communication gaps among people of all ages, not just teens.  It's the AGE OF  COMMUNICATION and we often times fail to communicate, especially if we don't want to answer the call.   

  Oh, sure, we have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, whatever, but that's just letting us put out what we want people to think of us.  It has nothing to do with communicating one on one.  Social media just allows us to show off to large numbers of people.   

  Prior to cell phones, we looked forward to answering a ringing telephone.  It was the unknown on the other end which many times surprised us.  When was the last time you answered a telephone and didn't know who was calling before you said hello?  

  As part of current day technology, Texting was born when alpha-numeric pagers came along in the early 90s. They replaced a device known as voice pagers which were popular with a lot of professionals and working people because home base could reach the person by transmitting a voice message of instructions or other information to the recipient's voice pager which was clipped to his or her belt. 

  But, to instantaneously receive a worded message on a hand-held device?  That was revolutionary.  

  And now, as it has been for a number of years, texting is the only way to reach some people because they simply don't want to answer the call!

  One could argue carrying around a phone in your pocket has made life easier. Perhaps that is true.  But, forget a one-on-one telephone conversation because it's not going to happen.  However, almost everybody responds to a text.  And to help us with that method of communication, we've also created a much shorter version of the English language.  That's not necessarily a negative.

    The new language is called SMS LANGUAGE (Texting language)!  It is similar to telegraphs' language in that it uses the fewest letters to produce concise words and thoughts.  It was created because early cell phones used 2G technology and it was difficult to text long messages, therefore, a shorter, simpler method was needed.  

  Abbreviated acronyms like OMG and LOL first appeared years ago, and now, there's a whole new compressed or minimized language complete with words, slang, and phrases. 

 Spokenenglish.com along with several other sites have compiled a list of SMS words to enlighten those of us in the dark.  Here are just a few and an example of each.

  This could be us, but you playin'--Meaning:  When you could be a cute couple with someone, but they won't give you a chance.  Example:  You see that couple by the fountain taking pictures? That could be Tom and I, but he's playin'.

  YOLO---Meaning:  You Only Live Once.  Example: I was so scared to go skydiving, but YOLO!  

  Facepalm---Meaning:  When something is so embarrassing, stupid, or ridiculous, you express your shame by putting your palm to your forehead.  Example:  I facepalm when I watch my middle school talent show video. 

  Facebook stalk---Meaning:  Goes beyond just Facebook.  It means looking them up on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter, Google, and TikTok.  Example:  I Facebook stalked the new girl at school and found out she has a dog, cat, a job at the movie theater and a boyfriend.  

  On Fleek---Meaning:  Another way of saying on point on looks.  Example:  My outfit was on fleek last Saturday.  

  Extra---Meaning:  Going above and beyond every day activities.  Example:  Her mom is so extra she brought our entire team personalized water bottles and cookies.  

  She's so basic---Meaning:  Someone who likes stereotypical things is basic.  Example:  His girlfriend is the most basic person I know.  She always wears name brand clothing and drinks Starbucks.  

  FOMO---Meaning:  Fear of missing out.  Example:  I want to stay home, but I have serious FOMO.  

  Casual---Used when someone wants to post about something amazingly out of the ordinary, but doesn't want to come across as bragging.  Example:  Just casual in this limo on way to school. 

  In addition, here are some examples of acronyms you may already use or wish to use.  

  H8---hate

  2day---today

  C---see

  2---to/too

  L8---late

  SMH---shaking my head

  OFC---of course

  LMK---let me know

  ROFL---Rolling on floor laughing

  Coming up:  Meet a young woman who has danced across the country;  a visit with some outstanding people who have chosen interesting encore performances, and; the 50th blog is ahead!

   As an example of how fluid the internet can be, a recheck of my source quoted above took me nowhere. There were several sites with the same material and it had only been three weeks since being  directed to Spokenenglish.com.  It no longer exists.  In fact, the domain was being offered for sale by a broker for $8,900. 

  Spokenenglish.com  WAPNFAELS (What A Perfect Name For An English Language Site).

  HUH?  What's up with that?