Text messaging, textese, and age differences : an exploration of fourteen consecutive undergraduate cohorts

Text messaging is a global phenomenon characterised by a casual style of writing known as textese. The textisms which make up this digital language involve orthographic changes to letters, words, or phrases. This study builds on previous work by Kemp and Grace (2017) and investigates the textese use of Australian undergraduate students across 14 cohorts between 2009 and 2022 (N = 2501). We re-analysed previous and new data using a new personcentred scheme of creative and non-creative textisms. We also compared differences between sub-groups of younger adults aged 18 and 19 years (n= 957) and older adults aged 28 years and over (n = 598). Bayesian analyses revealed that over the 14 cohorts, the overall use of textese represented nearly a quarter of the words typed in sent messages. Generally, noncreative textisms were used more frequently than creative textisms. Across all 14 cohorts, younger adults used a higher proportion of overall textisms, creative textisms and noncreative textisms than older adults; however, there were several interactions between textism type and age over time. The use of textese over time and between age groups is interpreted in light of the various reasons people use textisms.