"It's a form of terrorism."

So said my English 231 professor, last semester. What he was referring to had nothing to do with planes, bombs, or underwear, but rather, the correction of grammar mistakes. Do you remember that grade school teacher that didn't let you go until you used the specific code wording, "May I go to the bathroom?" I do. Her name was Ms.Kaminski, whose name will live on in my memory and will also be associated with making us eat crackers without dropping crumbs on the floor (not humanly possible!). Anyway, this isn't a rant about past grade school teachers, but it is some of my thoughts on the internet grammar phenomenon that has been prevalent the past few years.


First, let's dive into some sociolinguistics. There are innovators, who make slight changes to the language, in order to create solidarity with their own group and exclude others. Then there are imitators, who take these slight changes and emphasize these changes to prove that they can be or are part of the group. Think like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9qYF9DZPdw. I believe that the grammar correction that is now so common is a result of this same concept.

I'm going to be straightforward: People don't like to look stupid. Personally, I triple check anything I post online for spelling and grammar. Because, kiddos, people are brutal. Especially if it's people that know you well and are looking for a bit of recognition as being intelligent/clever.  Rarer now is the "ily u r tHe bst grrl!", and more likely is a brutal verbal backlash from using the wrong "your/you're."

This brutality is personified in the omnipresent "Daniel". His signature, "Love, Daniel" is to be feared by any who wish to post on the Internet without being mocked for seemingly lower intelligence.  Though the origins of the ultimate "grammar nazi" are unclear, there very many followers of the Daniel trend. Anyone can feel empowered correcting a poor soul's grammar under the title of Daniel.

To link this all back to a bigger picture, with all these new ways of communicating through technology, everything is public. Thus, everyone that reads it has the ability to critique/provide feedback for all content. Here are my questions: could too much critique can limit the creativity of those posting online? Or even the natural, opinionated flow of communication between individuals? In my opinion, the Internet is place where everything and anything goes, so is this grammar nazi phenomenon to add some structure and censorship to statuses/posts/tweets (which is very personal, informal writing) making it more like literature we all read in school? Does everyone want their statuses/posts/tweets to sound like it used as an example sentence in a grammar book? Should it?