DOES THIS DRIVE YOU MAD?

[shanmonster]

I recently read somewhere that distaste/disdain for people who typed in all-caps didn't exist before the popularization of the internet. I don't think I agree. It seems to me that yes, it was more uncommon before the rise of AOL, but it did still occur. I believe I'd have just as much of an aversion to reading a book printed in all-caps as I would an ICQ message posted that way. And I think I wouldn't have wanted to read something like that in the 1980s, before I ever so much as used email.

Do you have any opinions on the matter?

Comments

[prolixfootle.livejournal.com]

That's one of the things I tech in my introduction to the Internet class. IF YOU TYPR IN ALL CAPS, PEOPLE WILL THINK YOU ARE YELLING, INCREDIBLY RUDE OR RANDOMLY INSANE!! Don't do it. I also hate the text messaging abbreviations: U R GR8! I <3 U! BAH!

[amadruadaboleyn.livejournal.com]

It drives me up all four walls, across the ceiling, and out the window. I'm a stickler for people using proper English- at all times- and capitalization, grammar, spelling, and punctuation go along with that rule, too.

upper case, mixed case, got no case.

[(Anonymous)]

back when i programmed strictly with c on unix boxes, we cultivated a disdain for people who used even mixed case. Now that I am older, wiser, and work in Mr. Gates' world, I have seen the error of my ways.

Hey Shan

[(Anonymous)]

TELEGRAMS USED TO BE PRINTED ALL CAPS STOP DIDNT HAVE PERIODS AND COMMAS STOP ALSO I THINK OLD TICKER TAPES (STOCK EXCHANGE) WERE ALL CAPS.

WHAT I REALLY HATE IS THAT WHEN YOU'RE CAPPING YOU CAN'T YELL WITHOUT SPECIAL FORMATTING! (joke)

Benoit

(When did you start livejournal Shan? Reminder, i'm probably not here, but send me an email if you want. Oh, and happy b-day upcoming! You mature (!) person you.)

[fourcorners.livejournal.com]

I think that it's only been a source of discontent since the internet started up too. It's the only existance of typed script that we as a society cannot withdraw from, such is our deep-rooted obsession. With books and magazines or other formats of the written word, if a particular story or whatever annoyed us with excessive capitalization, we'd just put it down or skip to the next article and think nothing more about it, but with the intenet, we possess no such willpower to just go somewhere else. I think that the matter is tell-tale of our addiction to the internet, where we'd rather bitch and gripe at length about quirks like capitalization rather than simply get up from the computer and find something else to do.

[(Anonymous)]

Its more annoying when I see someone sign into msn with their name in alternating case like this "AnNoYiNg". I never saw the attraction to that.


Andrew

[(Anonymous)]

I think that it's ridiculous to get irritated by those who type with incorrect capitalization. What's the point of getting caught up in such an insignificant detail? It just seems pompous to me, especially when a nuisance can turn rational human beings into would-be totalitarian dictators of Grammaria.

PERHAPS SOME PEOPLE TAKE THEMSELVES TOO DAMNED SERIOUSLY.

-C. Copperpot

[f00dave.livejournal.com]

If thine eye offends thee ... don't read your email?

ALL CAPS

[(Anonymous)]

I THINK THAT I DONT LIKE IT WHEN PEOPLE WRITE IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. IS KINDA LIKE YOU ARE "YELLING". YA KNOW?? LIKE IF YOU ENDED ALL YOUR SENTENCES WITH AND EXCLAMATION POINT!

Re: ALL CAPS

[f00dave.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that.

LAME!

[purrthecat.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... well, I would say that internet etiquette now states that it's rude to use all caps in conversations. I use all caps when I'm either super excited, seriously annoyed, or just gushing in text about something. It helps denote tone. However, I know that I'm educated, as do my friends. Other people might think I'm slightly mad, lazy or just annoying. I think the same about alot of them. I know at my company we had an admin person who typed all in caps to our customers. It didn't take long for us to inform her of the impression this gave them. She's fine now. :)

I would say that because the internet is used as a primary communication tool for many people - it is best to not use all caps all the time. I personally read it as being either lazy, uneducated, immature, looney (but not in a nice way), or just trying to annoy others. Not someone I would want to have any exchange of ideas with - mentally marked as 'highly avoidable'.

I reckon that before the internet, it probably wasn't something that would've annoyed us. Newspapers use it for major headlines. Pratchett uses it for Death's speech. It's useful in it's place, but everyday communication is not one of those places.