Digital Literacy - Destruction or Evolution of the English Language?

I've chosen to write my academic essay on digital literacy, specifically text messaging, in relation to its impact on the English language. Is this impact simply part of the natural process of evolution or is it slowly eroding the English language?

Text messaging has become a phenomena over the last few years probably due to its ability to transcend many age or literacy barriers. However, in an age where time itself is a huge commodity people are cutting corners when text messaging, leaving out letters and punctuation marks that aren't deemed necessary to get their ideas across. Herein lies the problem. Text messaging has become so much a part of our everyday lives that many believe it is changing, and even destroying, the English language. If a person doesn't know how to spell a word it really doesn't matter when sending a text message. Capital letters? Irrelevant. Apostrophes? No chance. Also worth mentioning is the fact that text messaging is especially popular with our youngest citizens. The future of the English language is in their hands and many don't seem to have a clue how to use it properly. Or do they?

Courier Mail journalist, Melanie Christiansen, tells us of a new English syllabus being introduced in Queensland schools. The new syllabus will include digital literacy in addition to the three R's. Leading the charge for digital literacy is Professor McWilliam who says "When a young person writes 'c u l8r', you can either look at it as bad spelling or as an impressive short messaging capacity. In the digital world being able to communicate quickly is essential; sometimes spelling can get in the way."

Many disagree, mainly parents, with the decision to include digital literacy in the school syllabus. They believe the existence of digital literacy in the syllabus detracts from the traditional curriculum where the emphasis is on reading and writing using proper sentence structure and correct spelling.

Journalist, John Richards, became so frustrated with the obvious decline in the use of the apostrophe that he decided to start a club called the Apostrophe Protection Society. Their website is designed to educate those who don't know how or when to use the punctuation mark. Mr Richard states "The little apostrophe deserves our protection. It is indeed a threatened species!" http://www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk/chairman.htm