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Originally Posted by takenbythesky
The strange slang of instant messaging (IMing for those in the know) has infiltrated the ever-changing dialect known as teen speak. It is one thing that teens' online chit-chat is littered with abbreviations, acronyms, phonetic spellings and other shortcuts on the computer screen.
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Why is this pervasive use of abbreviations & emoticons -- which we're all thoroughly familiar with -- referred to as instant messaging (IM) slang? Not only does most of it predate instant messaging, but it is also widespread far beyond the specific uses of IM, including Usenet newsgroups, e-mail, Internet Relay Chat (IRC) & Web message boards like the Ledge.
And why the reporter's implication that this slang is used only by teenagers? Not true by a long shot, as we all know (all of us who spend year after year on Web message boards).