Language and Technology

To the Editor,

Technology nowadays has a huge impact on social and academic communication amongst the younger generations. Growing up with a standard pack of devices has led to this ‘concern’, which in turn has been aggravated by a set of frustrated language purists and leading head teachers who dramatically claim to see a decrease in academic and grammatically correct writing skills. The ‘erosion’ of standard English is supposedly the cause of text speak and therefore the influence of technology as a whole as well. However, the arguments that Ms. Clark states have limited value to support her argument and are irrelevant as she ignores the skills of youths code-switching nowadays and neglects the evolution of language parallel to the increase of technological advancements. On the contrary, its usage has had a positive effect as people spend less time communicating in a creative way. In a sense, text speak is a language on its own, giving it the right to be part of someone’s cultural identity. Younger generations master the technological language whereas the older generations (who were introduced to technology a bit later then we were) have difficulty understanding it, and since its impact will keep expanding it is important that the youth keeps up to date with the use of text speak. How would you expect people to develop socially, technologically and culturally if text speak is off limits? Youngsters are very much aware of their use of language in relation to a certain context: “we know when to use technological language and when to speak and interact from an academic perspective,” said by one of the students in Al Raha International School during English class. In order for one to use text speak; one should be familiar with the original spelling. In addition to that Ms. Clark, you mentioned: “If youngsters are not reading in the same way, and if they are spending a lot of time using social media, I wonder how much new vocabulary they are exposed to.” Highly recommended and respected schools as the Private Girl’s School in Oxford should be responsible to remain formative communication in both wittingly and oral forms amongst the younger generations. Text speak and Standard English are both separately utilized, just like one’s self adjusts their language and/or dialect in the context of one of the four identities. In conclusion, the next time Ms. Clark you make such biased assumptions ask yourself ‘Why might people change the way they speak and write in various contexts to express themselves?’ instead of declaring the offensive directly on social media and technology. There is always a reason if you're willing to perceive ideas from different perspectives, in this case the impact of technological use of language in comparison to academic grammar is much more coherent then you might think. 

A Cultural Memoir

Interview: Madonna  

Integrated Approach

The “Queen of Pop”

As long as the Rolling Stone magazine has been recording the greatest music artists and their astonishing (sometimes daring) impact of society, the iconic female music phenomenon Madonna has ultimately reached beyond the social-cultural significance in the music industry. The “Queen of Pop” has built a legacy that extends to scientific, sociologic and historic interest, resulting in multiple studies upon the three scientific fields. It was an unforgettable experience to have the global cultural icon herself around our table for this week’s headline! As we asked her what the “key to (her) success” was, she enthusiastically started to share her devotion to female rights. She shared her emotional relation to the subject and said to have “broken the boundaries of what’s considered acceptable for women to empower the female body and embrace their individualistic characteristics.” As the first female role model Pop Star, she opened the gate for other female singers to contribute to the music industry with great endeavor. Madonna claims to not “bow for other people’s opinions and (I) entirely aspire to my own norms and values of living as an equal figure to mankind” giving music artists such as Beyoncé the inspiration and courage to ultimately strive for global appreciation as a female artist. The impact of Madonna’s music started to be internationally recognized at a very young age, especially with her single “Papa Don’t Preach” released 1986, causing heated discussion considering the lyrics and the theme behind the song. Some claimed that the song encouraged teenage pregnancy while others saw it as a positive pro-life message against abortion. We asked the creator herself  “what (was) the intention behind Papa Don’t Preach” was. She sighed while explaining that Papa Don’t Preach was a “rebellious response” to communicate that no one could tell her what to as a form of “liberal self-expression to encourage society to be free in their opinion.” She is modernist pop icon, diverse in her rise for feminist appreciation and owner of many other titles such as the symbol of sexual freedom. She is also a symbol of contradiction: the woman we got to know in the film “In Bed With Madonna” where she is very open about her sexual relationship with her young male dancers significantly opposes the woman who desperately wanted to visit the pope in a chaste dress and named her daughter after the French pilgrimage place “Lourdes”. The controversial journey of Madonna led us delve into the next question “how do you cope with all the contentious criticism,” to which Madonna admits that for her it’s not a big deal she has been “used to it” and has dealt with nasty criticism for almost all her life, referring to these comments with “b**** I don’t care”. This is not the only time where her excessive use of language reveals how she feels about negative criticism, the pop stars general use of offending terms defines her careless character. The cultural pop icon will continually contribute to society’s ideologies with her eventual goal to “encourage those who are captured in their search for self-expression” and evolve global liberalism. “I will never succumb to peer pressure.” – Madonna