Variation in Text Messaging - unravelling cultural differences

While living in New Zealand, I noticed what seemed like a significant difference in writing style in the text messages I received from Kiwis. I theorized that New Zealanders tended to use more acronyms and abbreviations in their texts than Americans did. Through transcriptions and surveys I attempted to unravel the cultural differences that laced the texts I recieved - comparing the differences between American and Kiwi university-age males.

The results revealed that the differences may not be held in the style of writing in the text messages, or in the amount of acronyms used, but in the attitudes towards texting.



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