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A study says people who abbreviate text messages might seem insincere. They also might be less likely to receive replies. Researchers from the USA and Canada analyzed 5,000 text messages to look at the impact of abbreviations. Test participants rated their perceived sincerity of messages with and without abbreviations. They also assessed their likelihood of replying. The researchers said: "Abbreviations make senders seem less sincere and recipients less likely to write back." They said abbreviations show a lower level of effort from the sender.
Abbreviations in text and social media comments are now a distinct genre of writing. The first text message was sent in 1992. A system of abbreviated text then developed. This is now largely understood and widely used. Many abbreviations are in dictionaries. Shortened terms like "fyi," "cul8r," and "imho" are commonplace in text messages. Of course, these mean "for your information," "see you later," and "in my humble opinion". A researcher believed abbreviations "would convey an informal sense of closeness". He was surprised that they elicited negative perceptions.
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