The rise of internet-based communication programs in the previous decades has led to a significant increase in the use of immature and incorrect grammar and word usage in students’ essays and other writing. This new epidemic is quickly spreading across America, and the rest of the world.

Only recently, though, with the advent of the internet, has this been causing problems. The internet was created so different researchers and universities could exchange data more efficiently than they ever could before.

However, this purpose has been perverted by companies such as America Online, Yahoo, MSN, and others, which have created Instant Messaging Programs (IMPs) to allow people not involved in any research to communicate with each other quickly and efficiently.

These IMPs do not require proper spelling or grammar checks, and do not provide the editing services such as those found in word-processing programs. When students are writing in a rush it is often easier for them to abbreviate, rather than writing out the whole word. Today, anyone can write and send any message, regardless of its grammatical accuracy or correct spelling.

With at least one-third of the youth population using these IMPs every day, according to http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/class/wr/article/, is this lack of concern for proper written English (Internet slang) permeating into formal writings?

Freshman Paul Chang said, “People write like that in essays?”

According to English teacher Adam Weinstock, they do not. He does not see any internet slang used in schoolwork that he assigns, although he states that he thinks it is “a great note-taking tool.” He even uses it while grading papers if appropriate.

Professor Silvio Laccetti, of the Stevens Institute of Technology, and Scott Molski, a senior there, disagree.

In an article they wrote, “The Lost Art of Writing,” (http://www.stevensnewsservice.com/pr/pr368.htm) they said “College and high school students sit at their machines e-mailing and instant messaging without proofreading [or] revising.”

Lacetti and Molski also said in the article, “The errors then continue to be circulated and repeated by others until finally everyone on the Internet has become illiterate, replacing proper English with Internet slang.”

“Unfortunately for these students,” the article states, “their bosses will not 'lol' (laugh out loud) when they read a report that lacks proper punctuation and grammar, has numerous misspellings, various made-up words, and silly acronyms."

English teacher Robert DiTello, agrees with the professor-student duo. He has noticed a sharp increase in the amount of internet slang used in essays during the last two years, and he cannot stand it. “Every time I see ‘u’ instead of ‘you’ or ‘4’ instead of ‘for,’ I take off five points,” he says.

DiTolla thinks this increase of internet slang in formal schoolwork is caused by students’ laziness. He says that people are “looking for shortcuts” and “don’t read over and revise their work” to take out any nonstandard English. He thinks that if people would just take some time to review what they wrote, all of this could be solved.

However, according to the English teachers, the future for standard written English is a bright one. They believe that Internet slang is just another passing fad and will never replace the language the way it is supposed to be used.