Friday, April 25, 2014

New Age of Language

With the explosion of technology over the last 20 years, we've seen unparalelled changes in our lives from amazing medical advances to time wasting social-networking. The telecommunications industry has become the ever-growing monster of mass media madness. Banking has become so impersonal you may open accounts, apply for and complete loans, pay bills, transfer money and I'm sure several other things I'm not interested in by simply pushing a few buttons on your phone, without every talking to a bank employee in person or on the phone. This is just the tip of the iceberg of technology advances we've seen in our everyday live's. So, I began to think, which isn't always the best thing for me to do, but is there a good understanding of the differences between technology jargon and real-life dialogue? I came up with a little quiz to see if we can differentiate between certain phrases or quotes from the internet and telephony compared to everyday life and classic entertainment.
Is it a Famous Movie Quote or FaceBook status updates? You try to choose the right answer.
"Here's looking at you, kid." vs "OMG! Totally saw this cute lifeguard"
"I can't wait til I'm 18 so I can blow this dump" vs "There's no place like home."
"You can't handle the truth!" vs "Just found out Santa isn't real. Half the presents now?"
"You're gonna need a bigger boat." vs "Headin' to the river with my BFF's and some Buds"
"I literally can't even" vs "Houston, we have a problem."
"Do I look like an idiot? HELLO?" vs "You had me at 'hello."
Next, choose whether these quotes are from automated phone system options or wife questions.
"Press One for English." vs "Do I make myself clear?"
"Should we go wallpaper shopping today?" vs "Press Nine for more menu options"
"If you know your party's extension enter it now" vs "Whose phone number is this, KIRK?"
"Enter your card number, followed by the pound sign" vs "Can I have your card number?"
"If you are finished please hang up or choose another option." vs "You are finished! Hang up!"
"All lines are busy. Plese try your call again later" vs "Not tonight dear, I have a headache"
And my personal favorite: "Are you even listening to me?" vs "Your call is very important to us, please continue to hold."
You can see that it's still pretty easy to tell the difference between technology's accepted lingo and our own creative way to communicate with each other. If this ever changes it will become even more difficult for me to effectively communicate with anyone or anything. That could be a good thing, depending on your point of view.

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