6 thoughts on “OMG, Som37hing else 7o b3 afr4id of”
Ha, thanks for the good laugh, David! The idea that leetspeak being used as a dangerous “covert” code to purposely confuse parents and keep them “in the dark” just shows how large the divide is between digital natives and their parents. I’ve been using |3375p34k off and on for the past 6 years, both on the internet and in many games that teens and pre-teens play online, and never once have I read a discussion or seen someone trying to devise a way to keep their messages secret from parents by using it.
The comments on a recent Kotaku blog post (http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/leet-speak/zomg-133t-p34k-on-teh-newz-lolz-218812.php) pretty much sum up how leetspeak is being used on the internet. Playful jokers, “script kiddies” (pre-teens trying to impress older gamers and Internet users), and masses of online gamers just relaxing and having some fun is about as bad as it gets. Teenagers would do a much better job keeping their parents in the dark by chatting or writing in French than they would using leet. I’m really shocked that a newscast would be aired with such a bias slant (anything that kids do online and parents don’t understand = potentially bad), but in the age of MySpace murders and other atrocities via social networking sites, I suppose many parents have a careful, watchful eye out for the next big digital “underground” boogie-man.
The article acts as if l33t speak is some universally understood language among teens. It is mostly shortcuts to zip through the typing process. Typing ttyl is a lot faster than typing out talk to you later, 4 keystrokes vs. 17 keystrokes.
My experience has been that usage varies with the medium. So IM is pretty much social shortcuts with lots of lol or cya or even prw (parents are watching). Gamers and forum posters use the social shortcuts but add a host of game specific acronyms. If I were to IM a non-gamer that the only MMORPGs I’ve played are UO, SWG and WoW there is a very good chance they would have not idea what I was talking about. Most gamers, however, would understand that the massively multiplayer online role playing games I’ve played were Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies and World of Warcraft. But a gamer who plays Everquest would not understand that when I type I’m heading to LHC I mean I am heading to Light’s Hope Chapel (a locale in Word of Warcraft) but any experienced WoW player would know exactly where I am going.
I made a display this fall of books featuring the different activities offered by our school: Field Hockey, Chess, Mock Trial, etc. I made a banner underneath which said “Activites FTW!!!” Our little IMers kept asking me what FTW meant. I thought everyone knew it meant For the Win!! =-P
L33t speak words and phrases are just shortcuts, often specific to different online environments. Please feel free to QFT ;-0
As you watch this clip, be aware that WBNS 10 TV is very good at sensationalizing everything! I can’t stand to watch their news, which it seems like consists of about 5-6 hours a day.
This segment is a perfect example. There are a lot more dangers out there than kids keeping their parents in the dark!
If parents learn l33t speak, kids will move onto some other code. The final parent in the segment sums it up, just be a parent!
Ha, thanks for the good laugh, David! The idea that leetspeak being used as a dangerous “covert” code to purposely confuse parents and keep them “in the dark” just shows how large the divide is between digital natives and their parents. I’ve been using |3375p34k off and on for the past 6 years, both on the internet and in many games that teens and pre-teens play online, and never once have I read a discussion or seen someone trying to devise a way to keep their messages secret from parents by using it.
The comments on a recent Kotaku blog post (http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/leet-speak/zomg-133t-p34k-on-teh-newz-lolz-218812.php) pretty much sum up how leetspeak is being used on the internet. Playful jokers, “script kiddies” (pre-teens trying to impress older gamers and Internet users), and masses of online gamers just relaxing and having some fun is about as bad as it gets. Teenagers would do a much better job keeping their parents in the dark by chatting or writing in French than they would using leet. I’m really shocked that a newscast would be aired with such a bias slant (anything that kids do online and parents don’t understand = potentially bad), but in the age of MySpace murders and other atrocities via social networking sites, I suppose many parents have a careful, watchful eye out for the next big digital “underground” boogie-man.
Until now, the language and actions of teenagers were perfectly understood by their parents…
🙂
Jim H
This reminds me of a sixth grade student of mine. She claims she can always spot an adult on her favorite social network: Club Penguin.
Adult typists, she says, spell words right, use capital letters and punctuation.
Meanwhile, as she learned to type, the hardest skill for this pre-teen was using the shift key!
Oh no it is a conspiracy….. these teens are going to take over the world!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
🙂
The article acts as if l33t speak is some universally understood language among teens. It is mostly shortcuts to zip through the typing process. Typing ttyl is a lot faster than typing out talk to you later, 4 keystrokes vs. 17 keystrokes.
My experience has been that usage varies with the medium. So IM is pretty much social shortcuts with lots of lol or cya or even prw (parents are watching). Gamers and forum posters use the social shortcuts but add a host of game specific acronyms. If I were to IM a non-gamer that the only MMORPGs I’ve played are UO, SWG and WoW there is a very good chance they would have not idea what I was talking about. Most gamers, however, would understand that the massively multiplayer online role playing games I’ve played were Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies and World of Warcraft. But a gamer who plays Everquest would not understand that when I type I’m heading to LHC I mean I am heading to Light’s Hope Chapel (a locale in Word of Warcraft) but any experienced WoW player would know exactly where I am going.
I made a display this fall of books featuring the different activities offered by our school: Field Hockey, Chess, Mock Trial, etc. I made a banner underneath which said “Activites FTW!!!” Our little IMers kept asking me what FTW meant. I thought everyone knew it meant For the Win!! =-P
L33t speak words and phrases are just shortcuts, often specific to different online environments. Please feel free to QFT ;-0
As you watch this clip, be aware that WBNS 10 TV is very good at sensationalizing everything! I can’t stand to watch their news, which it seems like consists of about 5-6 hours a day.
This segment is a perfect example. There are a lot more dangers out there than kids keeping their parents in the dark!
If parents learn l33t speak, kids will move onto some other code. The final parent in the segment sums it up, just be a parent!