Texting, Twitter and their social media contemporaries have long been blamed for the purported demise of proper English.
But it appears that Generation Text may have the last LOL, as some academics credit the rise of social media technology for boosted literacy levels and an increasingly layered English language.
Bruce Moore, from the Australian National Dictionary Centre, said the increased use of text language through mobile phones and online forums meant young people were producing more written material than previous generations.
''They are writing more than they ever did, especially in the shorter forms, like text messaging,'' he said.
Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed an 18.1 per cent increase in the number of mobile phone subscribers over the six months preceding December 2010.
Of those 9.7 million subscribers, 37per cent had signed up for internet access.
Dr Moore said the increased use of non-verbal communication technology had forced the evolution of the English language and led to the establishment of text talk as an accepted communication tone.
Though it may not be as widely used as formal or colloquial tones, text talk had its legitimacy confirmed when the Oxford English Dictionary added OMG, BFF and LOL to its online edition earlier this year.
Dr Moore said staff at the Australian National Dictionary Centre had also created an appendix called English in Electronic Communication, compiled years ago when text language first began to evolve.
He said the character limitations in text messaging and the need for quick responses during online chats had forced the need for contracted communication.
''People would be holding several conversations at once and there was a need for abbreviations,'' he said.
''The important thing is what's going to happen when the limitations on characters disappear.''
Dr Moore dismissed critics who mourned the death of the Queen's English, stating that the ''new sphere'' was not impacting on the correct use of language.
He said that widely distributed articles ''supposedly written by students'' using text language in a formal setting were fakes.
''Most of the research is saying that this doesn't happen,'' he said.
''Most young people are sensible enough to move from sphere to sphere. They're not stupid enough to make that sort of social blunder with inappropriate language.''
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