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Digital communication , particularly among Gen Z , has drastically evolved. The choice of letter case, punctuation and
emojis reflects the tone of a conversation. Did you know that the use of uppercase while texting someone can be construed as
yelling, or the use of lowercase can be considered more friendly and chill? Most Gen Z today prefer to intentionally use lowercase in their digital communication.

Khushboo Agarwal (25) pre­fers sending texts in lower­case. “Lowercase feels more natural. It mirrors my easy­flowing and relaxed face-to­face conversations.” Similarly, Aafiya (22) types in lowercase intentionally and uses upper­case selectively. She says, “I use uppercase only when I want to express strong emo­tions like excitement, frustra­tion, or highlight something
important. It adds intensity to my messages.”

Underlying meanings
Typing styles speak volumes for Gen Z. Dr Naazneen Ladak, a psychiatrist and behavioural expert says, “Lowercase reflects a relaxed, authentic, and informal vibe... It is soft on the mind. It also reflects authenticity, individuality and informality.” “In contrast,” she adds, “uppercase signals intensity, seriousness, or authority. Gen Z uses it to yell online, express humour, or exaggerate emotions.”

A cultural shift
The rise in the usage of lowercase letters signifies a larger cultural shift. Dr Manujata Gupta, a linguist, consultant and professor of communication, believes that this is a result of globalisation. She says, “It’s an era of multilingualism. The informal expression and tone are more relatable and empathetic. This makes lowercase a preferred choice for Gen Z over the traditional grammatical rigidity.”

Brands use lowercase to connect with Gen Z
For brands, Gen Z makes up a key component of the market. For them, the easiest way to connect with Gen Z is through social media. Neha Mohanty, founder and director of a boutique PR agency, believes that the brands’ use of lettering influences Gen Z’s perceptions. She says, “Brand names with lowercase tend to convey messages of modesty, freshness, and simplicity. This way, Gen Z customers are informed that the company is approachable and knowledgeable about their online language. On the other hand, companies using capital letters might occasionally come across as more formal, outdated, or even hostile.”

Artists are using lowercase too
Billie Eilish used lowercase in the song title ‘don’t smile at me’, while Bell Hooks lowercased her name to shift focus from self to ideas. Poet E.E. Cummings famously used lowercase throughout his poems to defy literary norms.

What about grammar rules?
Language rules have always been followed in the past, until the rise of social media. Dr Gupta says, “Online communication style has moved from grammatical to more emotional and personalised. Case-switching today is used to imply emphasis, irony or rhetorical questions.” She adds, “While the morphology of words is constantly changing as convenient spellings are being adopted over grammatically correct spellings, the semantics will not change.”

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