Does texting make us bad writers?

This is such a controversial topic. For some of us texting is not second nature, and for others lol, b4, lmao and ttyl among many others have become as natural in texting conversation as they have in writing. I believe that texting for our millennials and our GenY population have made writing a harder, and less desirable activity. I don't think that we've become bad writers, I think we have become lazy writers. Why spend 2 minutes writing a whole sentence when you can write a quick acronym and be just as understood?

As well as acronyms texting allows for an almost immediate response, seeing the little box that shows someone is typing becomes frustrating when the incoming text doesn't appear fast enough. We don't want to wait for the response, or take the time to write the whole thing, in anticipation of the others response time. Not only have we become lazy writers, we've become impatient.

Based on some research I have come to reconsider my position on texting as making bad writers. Writing for expression should be accommodated in all its forms. This should include texting. While texting for writing is more conversational writing, it is still the expression of the student. I believe that as an educator that I shouldn't prevent my students from writing in text form, I should however, be prepared to help students edit this expressive writing into a more formal style of writing. Text writing should be encouraged for expression and formal writing for impressing.