The key facts
- Young people see lowercase letters as a sign of informality, while the older generation sees them as a sign of illiteracy
- In resumes, messages to clients and management, this style can reduce trust
- The expert recommends sticking to generally accepted rules when in doubt about how the recipient will perceive it
Lowercase letters as a marker of informality
Abandoning capital letters even at the beginning of sentences, in names and geographical names is gaining popularity online. For young users, this style has become a signal of closeness and ease, while some perceive traditional capitalization as excessive formality and coldness. Etiquette specialist Nadezhda Kolomatskaya told Moskva 24 about this.
The problem arises at the intersection of generations
“Lowercase letters have come to act as a kind of marker of informality, familiarity and friendliness,” Kolomatskaya explained. According to her, difficulties appear when representatives of different generations communicate: what one person considers a friendly gesture, another may see as a lack of upbringing or disregard for the rules of the Russian language.
Where an informal style is acceptable and where it is risky
In personal correspondence with friends, joking comments and social media posts, dropping capital letters is acceptable if it suits all participants in the conversation. But the expert does not advise carrying this habit into official communication: one should be especially careful when writing a resume and addressing clients, business partners and management — ignoring spelling norms can create an impression of carelessness and reduce trust in the author.
The expert's advice
Kolomatskaya recommends focusing on the recipient: if there are doubts about how a person will perceive an informal style, it is better to stick to the generally accepted rules of the Russian language. In her opinion, the ability to switch between different formats of communication matters more than following trendy internet fashions. Earlier, Life.ru reported on six texting habits that annoy conversation partners: the etiquette specialist advised against sending late-night messages without an urgent reason, voice messages without warning, and insistent demands for an immediate reply, emphasizing that the main principle of digital etiquette is respect for other people's personal boundaries and time.
