Most of the shortened words in "chatspeak" were created because there is a limit on the number of characters allowed in a standard tex message from a phone. I think we all had better get familiar with it because it will become a larger part of our language as time goes on. Imagine the difference in the way that your Grandparents spoke and how you spoke and how our children will speak. We are part of a living language and there will be constant flux in vocabulary.
