Full Stop or Fight? Decoding Text Etiquette

Host Andrew Urquhart and returning guest John Cowan take a light-hearted look at how digital communication trips up different generations. John, self-described as a "dinosaur" who still answers the phone with "John Cowan speaking," unpacks how younger texters use punctuation and emojis with a subtlety older generations never learned—where a full stop can read as aggressive and a blunt "K" as rude.

The pair warn that mismatched texting norms, from "text storming" to expecting instant replies, are an easy source of accidental offence and broken relationships. Andrew reflects that no amount of emoji fluency replaces face-to-face conversation, urging listeners to presume the best of each other's messages while guarding against the erosion of real conversational skill in a digital-first world.

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