Social Media 101:Experts Say Only Angry People Use Punctuation At The End Of Messages While IMing

 

For many, using punctuation at the end of a statement while IMing might just be that you like to use correct grammar. However, experts in a new research suggest other wise.

According to new report, using full stop or any other punctuation mark to end a message could be the equivalent of slamming the door in someone’s face after a conversation, experts say.
In fact, it could be construed you are annoyed with the person you are communicating with, according to linguist expert Mark Liberman.

Think twice before using a full stop (Picture: Corbis)

‘In the world of texting and IMing … the default is to end just by stopping, with no punctuation mark at all,’ the University of Pennsylvania professor told New Republic.

He suggested including a full stop might lead the recipient to infer something was wrong as it wasn’t normally done.

He added:

 ‘In that situation, choosing to add a period also adds meaning because the reader(s) need to figure out why you did it.

‘And what they infer, plausibly enough, is something like “This is final, this is the end of the discussion or at least the end of what I have to contribute to it.”’

It has also being suggested that adding a smile smiley to a statement can tone down how the recipient receives a message and help not to misconstrue a statement.

So, no matter how much of a pendant for punctuation you are, it might be a good idea to stay away from full stops.

But if you are actually angry, feel free to use them all you want. Lol.