Herman Manson

New communication channels such as chat rooms, e-mail and SMS are helping language take on a new form, where emoticons (a graphic representation of emotions), acronyms and abbreviations are becoming more commonplace when we communicate. It has been referred to as "broken English" and, maybe more neutrally, as "digital literacy". Language is going to hell in a handbasket. Or is it?

"I’ve found a website, the Webroot Software site, that will leave 90% of normal Internet users seething. The site, which features privacy protection software, reveals that software programs are secretly installed on most computers to monitor users’ behaviour and ‘lifestyle characteristics’." We unmask the ugly
undercover world of spyware.

Voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) has been the subject of much discussion in the international press as services are rolled out in the United Kingdom, the United States and elsewhere. In South Africa, however, the debate has centred not on the numerous benefits that VOIP offers consumers but rather on why VOIP services are still being withheld by the government.

The Internet has created what retailers surely see as their own two-headed monster — the never-satisfied consumer. Not only do online retailers have to provide quality, cost-effective customer service, they also have to provide goods at a competitive price, protect customer privacy and ensure a secure online transacting environment.

Few people are naive enough to believe the kiddies’ rhyme that goes, "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never harm me." But even the few die-hard believers will soon have to concede that, in the global economy, words can cost you money, at the very least. That’s because good domain names have become scarce, with most generic words already registered by individuals and corporations.