My pet peeve- 'text speak'

I find it incredibly insulting when someone responds to my posts in what you call "text speak" or "Chat speak" as I've also heard. In my mind, the English language is a beautiful thing that can be so very expressive. The abbreviation and chopping of words into the shortened combination of letters and numbers that people use online is butchery to me. I hate it. I have to admit, I did attempt to use it and will occasionally slip and use y, ty, yw, wb and that sort of thing in chat on occasion, but I truly hate it. It doesn't feel right. I believe that "text/chat speak" is going to be the downfall of modern literature. Young people are losing the ability to write, opting instead to shorten things into unintelligible gibberish that bears no resemblance to English. I've even heard of students turning in home work that was written almost entirely in "text/chat speak". It's ridiculous and shouldn't be allowed. I wish that this site would require more stringent use of English rather than allowing posts filled with such butchered writing to slip through. It's just laziness in my mind. We know how to write, yet so many of us refuse to do so. Of course, this is only my opinion...

It doesn't always bother me. When I actually get a text message on my phone, that is fine with me. I actually use it when I send a text message because it is easier. However, I don't like it all the time. When I am chatting, I am guilty of using the following. LOL, OMG, LMAO, and TTYL. I only use those when I am on an instant messenger though. I would never use anything like that in a form of formal comminication, or even an email. And I would definitely be against anything like that ever becoming acceptable in school. I also hate those commercials for cell phone plans where the people actually TALK in text speak. ANNOYING!

It bothers me. I find it difficult to read and understand. It would have been easier to read if it was proper text. I can't type that way either. It would take me longer to type it out than whole words. I have friends who are so used to sms-ing and that's how they type e-mails too...and sometimes I have to go back and ask them what they meant because I usually can't understand. Would have saved both of us some time if they had typed out whole words in the first place.

I loathe it. I find it incredibly hard to read (I'm dyslexic), inconsiderate and lazy. We have such a rich language, why ruin it with such unnecessary illiteracy? It's odd. There's a debate about just this, raging on the other forum I frequent right now.

A few times it can be annoying. Other times I do not care. As far as some keywords go, I'm fine with them, I even use them sometimes just for fun.