Be careful how you write your next text message. Pack it with too many abbreviations and you could come off juvenile and rude. But if you use punctuation properly, you may also come across insincere according to a new study by Binghamton University in New York.
With most users hooked on autocorrect, our digital spelling has improved. In 2015, there should be no excuse for sloppy digital prose, yet it seems we have added a new layer of complication to everyday communication with punctuation.
Added social awkwardness
The report reveals a dark side to the way we text. Taking the extra time to finish off a message with a full stop can now be read as passive-aggressive and open you up to a world of social awkwardness.
“Texting is lacking many of the social cues used in actual face-to-face conversations. When speaking, people easily convey social and emotional information with eye gaze, facial expressions, tone of voice, pauses” said Celia Klin, the author of the study.
Klin recruited over 100 students for the study which analysed their reactions to text messages with and without a full stop. The results revealed that without the social cues found in face-to-face conversations, the majority of participants interpreted the use of full stops as an expression of insincerity.
“People obviously can’t use these mechanisms when they are texting. Thus, it makes sense that texters rely on what they have available to them — emoticons, deliberate misspellings that mimic speech sounds and, according to our data, punctuation.”
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How to be rude
In this example participants read the use of a full stop as unnecessary and rude:
Not rude
In this example the lack of full stop was seen as neutral:
This new understanding of punctuation only applies to the digital world. The study also looked at handwritten notes and found reactions were the opposite—people still expect full punctuation without the subtle nuances found on smartphones.
Exclamation marks could also land you in trouble. According to the report they can equally be read as passive-aggressive and insincere, so watch out!
No full stop is the new full stop
Other reports have suggested full stops imply the abrupt end of a digital conversation. Handy if you want to kill the back and forth, but potentially risky if misused.
The best advice? To avoid any misunderstandings, simply sign off sans punctuation
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