How has tech changed the way we write?

In the growing world of digital communications, there is a discussion rising among content creators: how is tech changing the way we write online? Has the needs of social media channels, the competition between different platforms and the size of mobile devices influenced the length and style of written content? While some view this as the end of the English language, others are beginning to see its potential uses in the ever evolving world of business. So what do we think?

The new conversation

Since the rise of social media, online language has been condensed, with a rapid increase in abbreviations as well as punctuation. This has been done in order to make content more readable and digestible for audiences and to attract their attention. Subsequently, social media’s daily user base of around four billion people is constantly being exposed to content shorter than traditional print media.

As a result, millions of users around the world have become accustomed to content that’s in the same style, due to its easy nature and accessibility. Therefore, recognisable worldwide organisations have begun to utilise this content format to entice a wider audience. An example of this is the BBC news website, in which all its stories are written in short snappy sentences with constant paragraph spaces. It’s even laid out like a social media style timeline!

Boosting business success

Businesses may be able to take advantage of these trends, in order to grow a wider and more diverse audience. For example, shorter, more condensed tweets have a 17 per cent higher success rate than ones over 100 words. 

But this isn’t the only impact technology is having on the way we communicate. Reports show that emails sent in formal settings (such as the workplace), are becoming increasingly short, as well as using informal language and humour. This trend may be caused by the device on which a person is sending and receiving emails, as a study recently showed 50 per cent of all emails are now sent via mobile phone, leaving 21 per cent to computers.

This statistic calls into question whether muscle memory is a factor determined by the technology we use. Unsurprisingly, social media is most frequently used on mobile devices, meaning a user may carry over their habitual short, snappy ‘social media post’ style writing into the formal world of work.

So, we have learned that the modern world of communication is being driven by social media, and its easy to use format. But what about other forms of technology?

AI, the ‘wired’ evolution of language

With the rapid development of AI technology, it is not surprising that it is being incorporated into content writing of all forms. From college essays, to website content writing, AI is being constantly updated and expanded to perform more demanding tasks. But some fear that the rise of computerised content may cause another shift in our writing habits.

Could AI be normalising a new digital language, unusual compared to that of a human? The use of artificial intelligence to write extensive lengths of content is forecasted to increase the average length of content on websites and blog posts. Not only this but as the use of AI grows, so may the use of generic, soulless uses of language, losing the human touch which entices us to reading in the first place.

What the future holds

So how is tech changing the way we communicate? The volume of social media inspired language is increasing in almost all forms of online communication, most notably in website and email content. Its easy-to-read style and warmer tone of voice entices audiences, as businesses continue to use it across their all of their comms channels. This self serving cycle will only grow as technology improves, and new trends will surely emerge. 

 

 

 

 

Photo by Jonas Leupe on Unsplash