There’s no point in buying a new smartphone if you’re not going to use its apps. If you haven’t noticed – which means you’ve probably been at another planet for the last few years – apps are what makes any phone, tablet and even laptop, interesting right now.

Lately, the apps became completely automatized; as a user, you’ve been awarded with the ability to use them through many different algorithms which enable you to play a game, use Skype or surf the internet. And, we all thought that apps are going to keep developing this way – with no human contact whatsoever. The appearance of all virtual assistants was based on this type of principal so far, but a whole new approach was set with the new Ooloo app, that’s made for Android and iOS – so let’s see what’s up with that.

Humanized search engine!

When using Ooloo, it’s like you’re actually using a call center, just without unnecessary unpleasantries. It’s like having the ultimate assistant that has all Google’s knowledge in the palm of its hand.

How to use it?

It’s as simple as it gets – the first page of this app contains a simple voice recording button that’s made to pass your question to the one of Ooloo’s employees. So, press the button, ask your question and submit it further. A majority of users say that you can expect to get your personalized answer pretty fast – in the next minute or two.

What kind of questions it answers?

When you have a question you’d like to find out an answer to regarding hot new restaurants, current happy hours, the next flight you need and its pricing, or the fastest way to get somewhere, you can use Ooloo’s services and ask one of their operators to help you. But, if you’d ask Ooloo’s management, they’d say that you’re not limited to a certain group of questions and you can ask them practically anything that comes to your mind!

Other than the wide specter they offer, you also have the option to ask for a short translation that you need if you’re traveling perhaps, and you find yourself unable to recall a word or a phrase. It’s not necessary to emphasize where you are at the moment, because the app uses your smartphone to discover your location.

Why use it instead of Google?

All kinds of spontaneous tests have been conducted so far – for example, one user asked for a tutorial that explains how to teach a toddler to use a spoon. The answer received was a bit unusual, but it can be considered a pleasant surprise: “Yikes! Good luck with that one.” It’s a bit different when you know that you’re not using a form of artificial intelligence, but a human type of assistant that’s available 24/7.

Other than this warm human approach in contrast to what we’re used to, you’ll be losing a lot less time on finding the information you need – it’s hardly ever possible that the first website that appears after you’ve clicked the search button on Google is the one you’re looking for. All info you receive using Ooloo is fairly precise, and in most cases, you receive a link that can be used for further research if you find it necessary. So, instead of looking for authentic information and spending a couple of minutes to finally find out if it is legit, you can do something else – or better yet, do nothing – while you wait for your answer.

Good, Bad or Meh…?

The great thing about this app is that it gives you the option to rate the received info. I guess they will use that feedback to improve the way they do business, so – if satisfied, you can say the answer was “Good”; if not, feel free to give it a “Bad” review; and if you’re indecisive, you should go with “Meh”. Having in mind that you’re talking to a real live person should affect your review; the fact that someone will know right away that they aren’t doing their job like they should makes you feel more appreciated as a customer, right?

When the Ooloo app appeared, people worldwide showed a lot of interest and started downloading it like crazy. Because of the way they do their work, they limited the usage only for US now, which is disappointing for the rest of the world, but if you look at it objectively – this is a good move if they have efficiency as their main priority. When asked how they plan on sticking to humanized operators and if they’re aware of how much staff they’ll need if the app continues to be this popular, they decided to be mysterious and said that they are planning a surprise which is already on its way.

As far as globalization goes, and the process of bringing people of different upbringings, nationalities and backgrounds closer together, the main tool that pushes this process forward is the Internet. The vast possibilities of networking and communication offered by the Web environment really help drive the entire process forward.

These days, you can simply sit in front of your webcam and have a chat
with a random person from a random location.

This is a cross-cultural experience that you couldn’t get access to that easily some 20-30 years ago and has done much to help the process of creating a multi-cultural global nation of people.

Two most widely used languages on the Web are English and Chinese, and they are locked into a close race for the first position. However, as far as content goes, English has blown everyone out of the water, being that it is the most commonly used language for business and casual communication between people who don’t have the same mother tongue. Nonetheless, other languages are not excluded and also have an impact in molding the online vocabulary.

Language in the online environment

This kind of massive and global process has a significant influence on our cultural development and through that, the majority of languages on the planet. This process goes both ways and it is not uncommon that terms from various languages which are not that widespread in online use slip out into the mainstream and become very popular for use on social networks, blogs and other online communal communication.

The whole process is very active and new catch phrases and terminology pop-up on a daily basis. The entire thing is made even more complicated by the IT and hardware industry through novelties which they introduce with great frequency. These changes have to be taken into consideration since an active use of Internet and working in the environment, and a lot of people use the Web for work purposes, requires familiarity with the latest updates so you can function more efficiently.

However, a big part of the online vocabulary is not that stable, is subject to change and can become outdated very fast.

In order for something to be adopted as a part of the “permanent vocabulary”,
it needs consistency and longevity.

This makes it very hard for linguists studying the development of languages through the influence of online communication to spot permanent changes.

The communal tongue

Users who have been active participants in online communities have developed a certain “lingo” that is common sense to them, but is unfamiliar to the rest of the online users. These communities include social networks, gaming communities, blogs, etc. For example, people who do not use Twitter for their social networking needs are hardly going to be familiar with the latest popular hashtags. A lot of times the dialects that are used within these communities include different acronyms, abbreviations and terminology making them distinctive.

Again, there are distinct cases where some term that draws its origin from an online community becomes so widespread that people using it don’t have the faintest idea where it originated from.

A good example of this is the term rick rolling which came from the 4chan online
community as a game at one point and became very popular.

The very creation of the new vocabulary may have distinct stories behind them like the one connected to the World Of Warcraft character Leroy Jenkins, who is now a regular part of online slang. When communication is an active process between a lot of people, new terms tend to be coined daily and if the community accepts it, it will become a part of everyday online communication.

Conclusion

Things are just starting to pick up as far as the online language evolution is concerned and if we look at the current situation, you might have a lot of trouble understanding someone who frequently uses the Web if you were not a particular fan of the online media some 10 years down the line.

You need to be there when it happens to understand it, otherwise, you might
be forced to read up on a lot of things and it will not come naturally to you.

To answer my primary question, yes, the online dialect is very real and you need to pay attention to it if you want to be able to communicate efficiently.