If we spot anyone texting or sending emails in lowercase letters, we respond as if they are the most casual of badass types to grace our shores. They’re probably texting as they ride their fiery motorcycle over a pond of piranhas. They also have cigarettes in their mouths and a wink to all the women cheering in the line.
“Who’s this guy?” a chorus of background singers is wooing with each lowercase letter that’s supposed to be capitalized. “There the man goes.”
It’s how they’d like us to feel; however, the other type of reaction is also absurd. “Sweet molasses! The letters and the word are in lowercase. This is a defamation towards the queen’s English and I’m requesting satisfaction!”
Autocaps are a nuisance.
It’s not laziness. Writing in lowercase does not necessarily mean you’re a lazy person, and even capitalizing the right words does not mean you’re a serious go-getter.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re an arrogant person since you took the initiative to disable auto caps from your smartphone. This, at the very least, requires some Google search method. Someone casual will let auto caps muddle your messages and not bother.
However, to make it clear out of the way, auto caps are frustrating. I get it. It’s often a waste of energy and time when you’re looking to communicate a simple message. It’s also inconsistent with capitalizing words and can make unimportant words appear as declarations. “Do you Want to have pizza with Jen?” What?
Instead of making a fuss and repairing every single one, some decide to dump the baby in the bath water and then shut it down. Although it’s not a big deal, there’s the chance of collateral harm. This means you’re used to proper nouns that have to fight for themselves without capitals.
Autocaps are why we don’t turn them off and opt for lowercase.
For a lot of us is our primary means of communication. Therefore, it is no surprise that web culture broke all conventional grammar rules to be more appropriate to the medium, including trends such as the addition of space between punctuation marks … and idiosyncratic capitalization to make a point.
One of the oldest trending text styles on the internet says “fuck it” unlike any other. It also inspires an unprecedented amount of loyalty from those who follow it: It’s the legendary lowercase Bb!
The all-lowercase crowd isn’t just trying to communicate better via social media and texting. After DMing nearly twelve lowercase devotees (acquaintances and friends), it became apparent that it’s more lifestyle than just fashion.
There’s Some Pretense
It’s funny that writing in lowercase is just as pretentious as an avid capitalization fanatic. If you avoid capitals altogether (unless you’re the person who uses means only in the case of a crucial point), You’re making a formal distinction.
And I guarantee that if you’re one of those who has quasi-political/cultural reasons for going all lowercase, you’re probably the opposite of casual in person. You might even be someone who has to be on eggshells.
In most cases, however, it’s an excuse for how annoying auto caps can be, and it saves people time and effort texting. If you’re forced to be constantly typing to work, I appreciate not wanting to release any extra energy while typing in a message or comment.