Autocorrect makes fools of us all
Autocorrect may be one of the greatest inventions that accompanied the smartphone. It allows people to text faster than ever by correcting any mistyped words and even auto-filling the ends of long words that it recognizes. Autocorrect is brilliant; as a consequence, we are not. Most people take for granted what autocorrect contributes when texting or writing emails on their phones. They find themselves floundering with forgotten spellings and even waiting for words to complete themselves when typing on the computer or, perish the thought, taking a written test. Although this holds true for most people, some have adapted to autocorrect with more finesse.
“Sometimes I forget that I am doing homework and abbreviate words, such as ‘r’ for ‘are’ and ‘y’ for ‘why’,” junior Jodie Brennan said.
Many students find themselves making ridiculous and even humorous mistakes in everyday lives as a result of autocorrect. However, with the increasing focus on technology, our dependence on tools such as autocorrect has its merits.
“I would say autocorrect fixes my mistakes every five texts,” sophomore Hemakshi Sharma said. “It hasn’t really affected my spelling that much but there was one time when I wrote ‘gud’ instead of ‘good’ on an essay.”
Silly mistakes like the aforementioned one, which are common in today’s schools, make for good comic relief but may be setting up the new generation for failure later in life. When applying for jobs, students will certainly be able to impress with their technological prowess but may also show a distressing lack of spelling skills that will reflect poorly on their intelligence.
Autocorrect is not the only culprit in this regression of intelligence, or rather the appearance of intelligence. Texting language has evolved over the years, and many common words or phrases have developed widely recognized abbreviations in the interest of quicker typing. Phrases such as “lol,” short for “laugh out loud” may be appropriate in the texting world but have no place in the academic world.
Although autocorrect and teenagers’ addiction to cell phones could be a recipe for disaster for the future, spelling and other mundane matters may not be as important in the world to come.
