A Repost:

In past decades communication was an artform of articulation and diverse vocabulary. A correspondence with some one that was well worded and grammatically correct showed the writer to be a particularily learned person. That eloquence was held in respect and regarded with more gravity than a short provincial note. Use of few words showed lack of intelligence and inability to express oneself. In previous ages, when snail mail and written forms of communication were the standard, individuals had to be very descriptive and articulate because it took time to recieve and send letters. There, however, has been a shift in the current age that is inverse to what you would expected.Currently though communication has never been simpler. With email, instant messaging, and SMS on cell phones; communication has become a continuous stream of information for people to stay connected. With all this simplicity the English language itself has been simplified as well. A VAST array of phrases, words, and even random letters can now express feelings and emotion; instead of large expressive words. Some of the best examples are used so constantly in the instant messaging world that it becomes reflex like to respond with them. Some one tells you something humorous on AIM, IRC, or a chatroom... immediately "lol" or "hehe" shows the person that u share in their appreciation of the humor. Another slight thing that I just did was to type "u" instead of "you" and u the reader probably didnt even realize it because ur used to reading it that way. (Notice the "ur" instead of "your") Another addition to communication is the emoticon. Derived from the word "emotion", and emoticon uses a combination of colons, semicolons, paranthesis, and other characters to give people a face in this digital age where people are just avatars surfing the net.Currently as I can remember: haha, hehe, lol, rofl, lmao, btw, g2g, brb, cuz, no (know)

http://fracturedview.blogspot.com/2005/04/communication-in-21st-century.html