Group B ICOM 1215

MEMO
To: Scott Lessel

From: adam flight / w0174636

Subject: Protection of Evolving Communication in the Digital Age

! Language is the backbone of communication in organized society. Prejudice and

discrimination against any and all communication forms hinders not only the
fundamentals of our free society, but the very fabric of our own rights.

! The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees "freedom of thought,

belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of
communication". It is the responsibility of every law-abiding citizen to uphold these
rights and freedoms that bind our country's diverse and ever-changing population.
These so-called rights will always stand as the symbol of freedom among developed
nations; we, the citizens of this great land, must uphold those rights, not only to
established social norms in cultures, but among norms that have yet to fully reach a
developmental maturity. Therefore, I submit that LOLspeak should be fully protected
alongside established structured communication.

! LOLspeak is a form of structured communication created by humans who adapt

a host language such as English and modify and shorten the structure of the words. The
origins of LOLspeak come from communications by humans using Internet or other
networked devices. The unique exclusivity is a key factor in the isolation of this very
much misunderstood communication subset.
 Group B ICOM 1215

! Communication has existed among humans as means to survive and prosper

through exchange of information. In an ever-changing world environment, language
rarely stands still, evolving with each and every variation used by its maker. These
subtle variations are rarely noticeable to us at any given moment, but if one is to look at
the depth of modern communication and even language they clearly see the variations
which are a product of these subtle exchanges between humans. 

! The birth of communication is created out of need. So what was the need for
LOLspeak? We find the answer in the delivery method of all written language which can
not express emotion; only people can do that through interpretation of vocal inflection
and non-verbal communication. Due to the nearly instantaneous nature of the Internet,
conversations of any length or depth without expressive identifiers that LOLspeak
provides would lose a great deal of meaning. LOLspeak has therefore evolved to
provide a writer on the internet the ability to not only express great emotion, but do so
with less effort. The underground development of LOLspeak has produced a culture far
from the mainstream public conscience; this isolation has given the population that does
prefer to use this communication form nearly unrestricted control over its development.

! Just as Latin produced the Romance languages such as French and Italian,
LOLspeak has spawned such other internet communication forms such as 'Leet speak'
and Emoticons. Leet speak differs because its birth and development come from the
world of Internet gaming. Emoticons emerged as a straightforward way through
contextual images that displays common human facial expression through such images
in communication over the Internet. This subset of LOLspeak features a far more
inflammatory basis and is used in association with aggression and showmanship. This
form of communication is used by so many different Internet subcultures that they each
have their own variation on the parent.

! Allowing LOLspeak to exist as an option for communication among mainstream

populations would serve as an example of our freedoms to communicate in whatever
form we choose without retribution. Protecting this right to freedom of expression
mediums allows a population to explore the positives and negatives of this
communication form. On the Internet as on paper, written language does not allow for
straightforward emotional context. Therefore, a more expressive version of this
communication form can only enrich rather than cheapen our reading experience.
 Group B ICOM 1215

Bibliography

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A787917. “An Explanation of l33t Speak”.

October 25, 2010.

http://www.catb.org/jargon/. “The Jargon File”. October 25, 2010.

http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/charter/1.html#anchorbo-ga:l_I-gb:s_2. “Charter
of Rights and Freedoms”. October 25, 2010.

http://www.thehawaiitraveler.com/2008/07/the-origins-of-lolspeak/. “The
Origins of LOLspeak”. October 18, 2010.