The reason I was reading these articles was that I was confused about recent texts, chats, and Facebook comments that included periods instead of exclamations or nothing at all. I have a relative that uses two periods .. instead of one after every sentence and a double space. I get really confused about whether or not this person meant to put three, as in an ellipsis ... or whether or not they had a stutter on a cell phone communication or what it was. The fact is, this person uses the double dot .. almost all the time. So I just wrote it off as 'their way'.
There are other confusing punctuation marks that pop up in social media posts all the time, one of which is the period.between.words.
This usage also confuses me as it creates hyperlinks on text messages on my phone app and makes them message hard to even follow. So I researched this and sure enough, there are articles about punctuation and social media.
It is harder than ever to communicate in our world with less face-to-face time. We use our faces to express 90 percent of what we mean to say. Without our faces, there is a LOT left for interpretation!
I used an exclamation point there because I am anxious about that situation because I am trying to interpret the spirit of the message and its sincerity.I strive for honest interactions and at the same time I try to be sensitive to the person I am communicating with. If I feel that what I need to say could be mistaken, I try not to use social media or text of any kind (email, SMS text, messaging etc.) and opt instead for the phone or a personal meeting.
Our society has been so greatly affected by social media and texting and the smart phone that I am flustered and lost when it comes to communication some times. I realize this is my problem and not the problem of everyone else. I want the people that I come across in my daily living to know its okay to be exactly who they are, and if they want to use extra punctuation they have the liberty to do so!
I am learning and growing to love and accept everyone as they are. All of this reflection because of mistaken communications? Yes, and its all worth it.
Here is a good article that describes what I have learned.
