Millennials ruin everything, amirite? From diamond sales to napkins to your friendly neighborhood Applebee’s, we’re out here with a mouthful of avocado toast, changing the way we all day-to-day. Up next? We’re coming for your dictionaries.
But, before some well-spoken keyboard warrior hops in the comments and tears me a metaphorical new one, I’ll preface:
The English language is sacred.
Grammar is God.
I respect the hell out of a good ‘ol SAT word.
Oh, and I’m no book-burner. Formal writing has its place. And it’s a place I love to be.
Here’s the thing: in this age, words don’t just live in print. We’ve got an entirely new landscape online, and if you wanna be read, you’ve gotta make those words feel at home.
So ease up on your English. No one’s gonna read your posts if you come at your audience like William Shakespeare.
Basically, social channels are a place for skimming, not reading, because scrolling is typically done while multitasking. Your online readers aren’t hungry for a book right now, but there’s an appetite for snackable, easily digestible pieces of content
If you’re serving up something lengthy with a questionable side of complex vocabulary, you’re gonna get a swipe left.
As a proud part of the character-limit generation, I encourage you to abbreviate where it’s appropriate, swap words for emojis—hell, attach a gif. And hey, laugh a little. We’re not going to ruin EVERYTHING.
Yet.