Texting: It's the New Note

Remember in junior high school, when we would write notes to our friends, and fold them up in magical little shapes that we practiced and prided ourselves on, with little tabs that said "pull?" I have often looked back nostalgically on those days. I love the creation of email, but I sometimes feel pity for kids nowadays, who don't write notes. But then it dawned on me- they text! It's totally the new note. Let's examine what we said then (and by we I mean me and my friends in junior high school) and what they say now.


Then: Phbbbbbbbbblt. (with smiley face sticking out tongue)
Now: :p


Then: He he he he he.
Now: LOL

Then: HA HA HA HA HA HA
Now: ROFL (or my favorite, ROFLCOPTER, meaning rolling on the floor laughing and spinning around).

Then: I don't get it.
Now: ?

Then: Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. (and yes, I wrote whole notes of this)
Now: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Then: BFF
Now: BFF (or BFFN--best friends for now)

Then: Wassup?
Now: Sup

And then there are the ones that apparently some kids use to pull one over on their parents. My personal opinion is that this is an age old craft, and if they think you have figured it out they will think of another way to hide things if it's that important to them. I myself had a number language with a good friend once. Although that was not so much to hide anything as it was to entertain ourselves. The only thing that scares me about this particular part of texting/IMing, is that Doctor Phil drew to light the fact that sometimes they are talking to people they don't know, more so online than texting, and it could be a pedophile. But it's probably just their friend who likes to cuss or talk dirty.