IT’S INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY, WHICH, THE VERY IDEA OF, LENDS ITSELF TO AN EFFECTIVE TWITTER TREND. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE’S SOMETHING MISSING IN REGARDS TO THE HASHTAG BEING USED TO PROMOTE THE EVENT, WHICH IS ONE OF THE HOLIEST OF DAYS FOR THOSE WHO USE KEYBOARDS WITH REGULARITY. TODAY’S “HOLIDAY” ESSENTIALLY GIVES YOU AN EXCUSE TO YELL AT EVERYONE YOU COMMUNICATE WITH, AT LEAST USING TEXT-BASED COMMUNICATION
WHILE IT WOULD PROBABLY BE OBNOXIOUS TO FINISH THIS POST IN CAPITAL LETTERS, TODAY’S CELEBRATION GIVES ME THE NECESSARY LEEWAY, SO STOP COMPLAINING. IN REGARDS TO THE DAY’S SIGNIFICANCE, CAPS LOCK DAY WAS STARTED IN 2000 BY DEREK ARNOLD, AND WHILE IT WAS INTENDED TO MAKE FUN OF CERTAIN LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS — AND THE PEOPLE WHO ADHERE TO THEM, APPARENTLY — IT’S GROWN TO BECOME AN INTERNET MEME. THERE’S ALSO A SITE, REMINDING PEOPLE OF THEIR OBLIGATIONS.
THE ORIGINAL DATE FOR ACKNOWLEDGING THE TRUE EFFECTIVENESS OF CAPITAL LETTERS, BUT IT WAS EXPANDED TO INCLUDE JUNE, 28TH, AS A WAY TO HONOR THE LATE BILLY MAYS. CONCERNING THE MOTIVATIONS OF CREATING A CAPS LOCK DAY, ARNOLD SAYS:
International Caps Lock Day is in fact a testament to the small mindedness of certain Western individuals: the majority of the world’s population writes in scripts which have no concept of letter casing. Therefore it is advised to laugh at anyone who invokes this day as an excuse to dismiss local typographical conventions: they are simply making an ass out of themselves.
ALTHOUGH I WAS TEMPTED TO CONVERT THAT TEXT BLOCK INTO CAPITAL LETTERS, I FIGURED A RESPITE WAS DESERVED, PROVIDED YOU EVEN MADE IT THIS FAR. NEEDLESS TO SAY, SOCIAL MEDIA IS THE AREA CAPS LOCK DAY IS MOST CELEBRATED, ESPECIALLY TWITTER. THE REASONS FOR THE CELEBRATION, HOWEVER, IS THE REASON CAPS LOCK DAY WAS INTENDED:
#capslockday would be in all caps.
You’d thinkINDEED YOU WOULD, ROY. HE WASN’T THE ONLY ONE WHO NOTICED THE FAILED #capslockday HASHTAG, EITHER. IN FACT, THE LOWER CASED OBSERVATIONS ALMOST BECAME A TREND OF ITS OWN:
#capslockday is trending but it isn’t written in caps lock….
That awkward moment when#capslockday. it should be #CAPSLOCKDAY. justsaying.
#capslockday shouldn’t be #CAPSLOCKDAY?
#capslockday is trending but shouldnt it be #CAPSLOCKDAY.
WHY, YES. YES IT ABSOLUTELY SHOULD. THAT BEING SAID, OTHERS, THANKFULLY, HAD SOME FUN WITH THE TREND:
#CAPSLOCKDAY: YOUR CHANCE TO SHOUT OUT AT EVERYBODY ON THE INTERNET. SLIGHTLY MORE THAN USUAL.
INTERNATIONAL#CAPSLOCKDAY –> http://t.co/WgSEShP (CONVERTS ANY LOWERCASE TEXT TO UPPERCASE)
ANOTHER WEBSITE THAT SUPPORTSTHE CASE CONVERTER ALSO WORKS IN REVERSE, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON’T LIKE READING ARTICLES IN ALL CAPS. WHATEVER THE CASE, SEIZE THE CAPS LOCK DAY AND ENJOY YELLING AT EVERYONE VIA TEXT. IT’S CATHARTIC. TRUST ME.