Is Grammar Police Anthem Getting Too Stern on Social Media?

As social media becomes more and more popular, there have been a number of arguments about whether or not it's appropriate to correct grammar mistakes on social media. Some people can never look the other way, insisting that they won't sleep well at night unless they've notified the recipients of their errors.

Other people chalk up little mistakes to the hasty nature of social media, assuming that users simply aren't taking the time to proofread their messages before hitting the submit button. Is it advisable to take one stance or the other? Is there any room for a happy medium?

There are a couple key points that you should consider before taking a position on this issue. First, using abbreviations, slang, and other conversational lingo is not the same as making typos or grammatical mistakes. As many people are using social media to have casual interactions with family and friends, there is nothing wrong with using “cuz” instead of “because” or using the “&” symbol to save time and maximize the character count on Twitter.

Second, professional social media accounts should not be viewed in the same light as personal accounts. If you're sharing cute pet or kid pictures with your loved ones, no one is going to judge every single message with the same scrutiny that professionals undergo. Taking a few extra seconds to proofread your content before publishing it can make or break your business.

If you've spent any time on social media, most likely you've encountered users with notoriously bad spelling and lack of basic grammar knowledge, which can be really frustrating. On the flip side, if you use social media yourself, you know how easy it is for little errors to slip by.

If someone wants to convey a professional image on social media, it's worth pointing out consistent errors in a polite manner. The rest of the time, you can simply sympathize with a busy mom sending a quick message before taking the kids to school or a stressed teacher preparing for a full day of conferences and let the mistake go without saying anything.

Also Read: 8 Serious Grammar Mistakes Transcriptionists Must Avoid