The numerous parallels between modern linguistics and computer science may come as a surprise to the audience and their notion of language may change significantly. Language is a system of signs and we adjust it every day. Especially new forms of communication (Twitter, instant messaging etc.) change the way we perceive and use language. Many people use the same abbreviations in texting and instant messaging, and social networking websites. Acronyms, keyboard symbols and shortened words are often used as methods of abbreviation in Internet slang. Laccetti, a professor of humanities at Stevens Institute of Technology and Molsk, criticizes that acronyms, predicting reduced chances of employment for students who use such acronyms, stating that, "Unfortunately for these students, their bosses will not be 'lol' when they read a report that lacks proper punctuation and grammar, has numerous misspellings, various made-up words, and silly acronyms." Fondiller and Nerone, in their style manual, assert that "professional or business communication should never be careless or poorly constructed" whether one is writing an electronic mail message or an article for publication, and warn against the use of smileys and these abbreviations, stating that they are "no more than e-mail slang and have no place in business communication".
But this is of course a very conservative way to see the subject matter. This talk is meant to explore the many ways in which speakers 'hack' and re-interpret their language based on the various definitions of the term 'hacking'.