While we understand literacy as the ability to read and comprehend texts, but the level of understanding that one has is based on experience. In terms of computers and communicating online in a casual manner, there is a whole set of vocabulary and often grammar than face-to-face communication. This type of typing and conversation style can seem odd, foreign, even, to someone unacquainted with internet culture. With the ways that people type online in casual conversation, misspelled words, unusual slang, and altered grammar all make such pieces almost incomprehensible compared to standard English.
For people entering into this culture and style of writing, it can be very difficult for them to achieve a solid level of literacy. Just because one can read one post with a specific set of rules does not mean that they can read another. Not understanding the rules of the system means that online literacy can be nearly as complicated as the written or spoken word. When to use ‘you’ versus ‘u’ or ‘tol’ versus ‘tall,’ these are challenges faced by those new to the world of casual, online writing. As one gains experience and knowledge regarding how the system works, it shows in their writing and they become less and less identifiable as a newcomer to the scene, much like it is in our standard understanding of Literacy
