Here's a Novel Idea - Spell Check!

Writer's Note: As you can see by the post dates, I took most of 2018 off. I focused more on my fiction writing and less on commenting about the current state of our world. However, I felt it was necessary to finally get some of these thoughts/comments/opinions out there for all to see. Here's another one from last year.

July 19, 2018 - The Internet is a wild, crazy, wondrous, and baffling place nowadays. I could - and, eventually, will - rant about the Pandora's Box that is our present Internet world, but, for now, I'm content to rant only about one facet of our online existence: memes.

According to Wikipedia, an Internet meme is an activity, concept, catchphrase, or piece of media that spreads, often as mimicry or for humorous purposes, from person to person via the Internet. An Internet meme usually takes the form of an image (traditionally an image macro, GIF or video.) Sometimes, it may be just a word or phrase.

By now we all know what a meme is and its base purpose. I have seen and shared many funny memes on Facebook and Twitter.

Spell check - really?

As a writer, a sometimes grammar nut, and a former journalism major - what tires me out is the "garbage" that is passed around on the Internet. Take, for example, the meme on the right of Keith Richards (aka Keith Richard). Yeah, it's funny. (Keith is a bit scary looking, however.) But they couldn't spell his first name correctly? You couldn't take five seconds to pull it up online (Google?) to make sure it's Keith and not Kieth?

My daughter tells me that many memes we see on FB and Twitter come from other countries - think former Soviet satellite states or Asia - where English is not the first language. In addition, these people try to put as many memes and other trash onto the Internet as fast as possible. (Think quantity over quality.)

Still, wouldn't you take pride - even a little - when putting something out there that millions of people will see online? Maybe I'm an old fashioned perfectionist, but I want what I produce - which will now be online forever - to be correct and, hopefully, error-free.

Plus, it's distracting! It takes away from the humor of the piece and, in some cases, muddies the message.

Of course I won't get started on all of the English grammar errors that run rampant on the Internet. Remember the old days - about 5 or 10 years ago - when people would flame each other over grammar errors and accuse one another of being Grammar Nazis? Now, no one cares.

Oh, those were fun times.

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(Note: Please don't post memes, selfies, or pictures with the three most-hated grammar errors: its or it's/there, their, and they're/to, too, and two.)