Donna
Hindson
MSN.CA
donnahi@microsoft.com High Road
Communications
(416)
368-8348
For Immediate Release:
“Language
is never fixed - it is constantly evolving to reflect changes in society,” says
Dr. Randall, author of the study. “This study shows online culture has bred a
new language that allows for greater creativity and expression. People are
adapting to online communication and as a result have learned to speak with
their fingers.”
This new online lingo is almost universally known
among users under 20, indicating that the younger generation is driving its
adoption. For example, the term “LOL,” which means laughing out loud, was
recognized by 86% of survey respondents under 20, 60% of people age 20-34 and
28% of users 35 and
over. Although younger users are adopting this language faster, the
survey also shows it is understood by parents and older generations. Ninety-one per cent of survey respondents age 20 to 34
and 84% of those 35 and over use emoticons in email conversations with friends.
To save time, 86% of respondents use acronyms such as “G2G” (got to go) and
“TTYL” (talk to you later) in email messages and 76% use them when sending
instant messages.
The study
also found people are creative when communicating online: 55% of online users
surveyed invent their own short forms and abbreviations that they use when
instant messaging with friends. Sixty per cent of people believe emoticons help
them express their feelings and 40% believe that emoticons allow them to
express their individuality online.
Despite
the use of acronyms, abbreviations and emoticons in online communication, the
study clearly shows people recognize when to use online lingo, while still
understanding the importance of traditional language. For example, only 18% of online Canadians
would use emoticons in an email message to business associates. In addition,
77% of online Canadians regularly use salutations in email messages and 70% use
them in instant messages. Fifty-five per cent regularly check spelling when
they send email.
“MSN.CA
has its finger on the pulse of online culture, and we are constantly examining
the ways in which people use the Internet,” says Donna Hindson, Senior
Marketing Manager, MSN.CA.
“This study shows that nearly 100% of online Canadians use email to communicate
and today we have 8.6 million Canadians using MSN® Messenger. Canadians love
being online and are letting their fingers do the talking.”
Conducted throughout April and May 2002, the
MSN.CA
is a leading Canadian Web portal with 8.9** million unique monthly visitors.
Its suite of online services delivers news, information, entertainment, and a
variety of communication tools including MSNÒ network of
Internet services, Hotmailâ web-based e-mail
service and MSNâ Search. MSN.CA also
provides such high-quality interactive services as MSNÒ Messenger, MSNÒ Explorer, MSNÒ eShop, MSNÒ Web Communities
and many more for the Microsoftâ Windowsâ operating
system. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.MSN.CA.
(c)
2002 Microsoft Corporation. MSN, Hotmail, Microsoft and Windows are either
registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the
** Media Metrix
Canada, April 2002; Unique Visitors: The estimated number of different
individuals within a designated demographic that access the content of a specific
site from among the total number of projected individuals (only counted once,
even if they visit the same site more than once)
NOTES TO EDITORS:
For any of the following items, please contact
B-roll:
B-roll tapes are available. They include interviews
with Dr. Neil Randall, Donna Hindson of MSN.CA, and three Canadians
representing different age groups (under 19, 20-34, and 35 and over) talking
about their use of online language.
CP
Photo Wire:
Photos of online users will move on the CP photo
wire at approximately
Interviews:
Donna
Hindson, Senior Marketing Manager, MSN.CA, Jill Schoolenberg, Director of
Marketing, MSN.CA, Dr. Neil Randall, English Professor,
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