Why cant people write out what they are saying without using acronyms

[jamesbondgoldfinger]

Not just here on ebay but in every day life, write out what you are saying rather than using acronyms. I'm old I'm not into most of these acronyms , when I'm reading these posts and I see an acronym I don't know what it means I just go to the next post, like I said its not just here on ebay but in other social media outlets. Its just FA!!!!!!!

[simply-the-best-for-you]

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@glorybells wrote:

I grew up in the shadows of the space program (My dad was a NASA engineer for 30 years).  NASA is king of the acronyms.  I got used to VAB, LCC, O&C, LOX, LN2, SRB, LEM, and more.  And I still use them, when I’m driving my Uber riders who are going to the VIC (visitors center).    If you don’t like acronyms, this would be a terrible place to live!  Plus there is a lot of local shorthand in our area.  “The island” refers to Merritt Island.  

I’m an Uber driver and go literally all over the state.  Sometimes, I’ll send a quick text to a friend so someone will know where I am.  Such a message might read: @OIA, no pax, trying to get r coming E.  Translated: at Orlando Airport, no passenger at the moment, waiting to get a request coming east.  I use airport code for whatever airport I’m at, except Orlando.  They’re OIA when I’m talking, but their code is MCO.  I’ll refer to SFB or MLB for the other airports I work.  Anywhere on Disney property or nearby is referred to as the “Disney bubble”. 

I don’t mind them at all.  They allow me to say things quickly and succinctly , and I’m all about quick and succinct.

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@glorybells  I was so confused at OIA, I'm like that s/b MCO.  10 years of weekly travel.  I refer to almost all cities by their airport code.  Esp my fave, SUX.  And yes, it really does. 

[policequilts]

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@12345jamesstamps wrote:

I look up acronyms on my iPhone...I just google them.

Heck...the newer movies on TV use them all the time.

I saw OP used a lot here...had no idea what it meant...'original post'.

I do understand it though.

Whatever happened to people actually writing something?...on paper with a pen

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oh my goodness. I learned something.

I kept using  " Other Person" and thought . . .  What ? ? ?  "

[policequilts]

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@jamesbondgoldfinger wrote:

Not just here on ebay but in every day life, write out what you are saying rather than using acronyms. I'm old I'm not into most of these acronyms , when I'm reading these posts and I see an acronym I don't know what it means I just go to the next post, like I said its not just here on ebay but in other social media outlets. Its just FA!!!!!!!

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I agree about spelling them out and maybe followed by ( acronym).

I bet a lot of this is because of texting and I am finding if people can write the words, but they cannot spell them correctly. 

[a_c_green]

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@policequilts wrote:
I agree about spelling them out and maybe followed by ( acronym).

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That's the way to do it; yes. You spell them out the first time, optionally add the acronym in parentheses at that time, and then you can use the acronym only from that point forward. You save a lot of typing, and everyone knows what you mean. Easy-peasy.

[stephenmorgan]

In the Air Force, I recall LOX as being Liquid Oxygen.  Not sure if it has the same meaning with NASA.  

In civilian terms Lox is a dish consisting of a fillet of brined salmon.

[stephenmorgan]

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@titipeo wrote:

Something that hasn’t been mentioned is that back in the early days, but it serves its purpose as well, where beepers where the rage, you only had so much room to send a message, hence abbreviations. LOL DIY SMH 

Also for me, with arthritis writing through the phone or using keyboard is a little painful. Shortcuts are key, Urban dictionary works well. 

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That would still apply if you have a phone that charges you for each text message.  It is because a text message is composed of so many characters before it is counted as another text message.  People would abbreviate a lot to save on the amount of text messages.

Also with contest for the fastest texter, each acronym counts as a word. 

[stephenmorgan]

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@a_c_green wrote:

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@policequilts wrote:
I agree about spelling them out and maybe followed by ( acronym).

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That's the way to do it; yes. You spell them out the first time, optionally add the acronym in parentheses at that time, and then you can use the acronym only from that point forward. You save a lot of typing, and everyone knows what you mean. Easy-peasy.

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That use to be the way to do it and is how I was taught.  But reading news articles it is often not done.

[theteamsetguy]

In the underwriting world LOX stands for Letter Of Explanation.

[reallynicestamps]

When I was training as a journalist and later writing for the public service, we were told to write out the acronym the first time we used it, followed by the acronym in parentheses.

For example -- North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

YMMV

[doc-holmes]

Acronyms are nothing. My kids say stuff like rizz, drip and skibidi. That's the real threat. 

[reallynicestamps]

Copacetic , daddy-o. I grok wassup.

[johnrj1226]

Only been to NASA in Houston, TX.  Lived  in Katy, TX and drove by it on our way to Galveston beaucoup times. Once Took our two sons to museum there, my then 13  y.o. son received a signed baseball from Nolan Ryan when he was with the Astros who happen to be there.- it was his birthday and he wanted to go there - I was my sons Uber  driver, called Max, when being one wasn't cool.  Nolan R. grew up in Alvin, TX  near the  NASA  complex.....Dumb luck happens some times.

PS.: We  went to Galveston in the afternoon  spend some time on beach.  The 13  y.o. want to check out what was new in in young girls bikinis too and  have a fresh shrimp dinner at Gaido's.

[chapeau-noir]

Acronyms are in no way as annoying as people who still use 'u' for 'you' and 'ur' for 'you're' or 'your' - it's 2025 not 2010 - phones have text expansion now and you're not 13 years old. 

[roccotacodad54]

   As policequilts pointed out. It's sometimes easier to decipher the acronyms than if they actually try to spell out the word(s).

    I have a young relative that in verbal conversation is pleasing to talk to. They sent me a text in what appeared to be some sort of code (at least to me) and was nothing but one long string of acroynms and abbreviated word salad. I texted back to just spell it out. Mistake, even worse...............

  I have another young relative that can't tell time on a clock with hands, only from a digial display.

  I have no doubt that in the not so far future just grunts and sighs will be considered acceptable forms of communication.

[chapeau-noir]

Curiously, analog watches are quite popular here with the younger generation, it's old farts like me who use Apple watches, which I find interesting (I don't have an Apple watch, I have an analog thing, but I see this all the time). Maybe they find that big display attractive. IMHO, digital watches are actually kind of dire - you have to r-e-a-d them to get the time, whereas analogs you just glance at it - it's all in spatial recognition and the connection between that and time sense, all in one synapse. My DH will use nothing but digital watches, and he has to decipher analog, and then figure out the actual time, and he's 73 - dire, I say!