This brings up another valid point, Uzumaki ....

People abbreviate things because "it takes too long to type the whole thing in" ... which is fine. But can you really say that you still type the 30-40 cpm you did when you first started using "u"? I got my first computer 4 and a half years ago, and now type closer to 450 cpm on a bad day. If you're thinking so fast that you can't take the time to type "you" then either you should slow down and reconsider your words, or you should realize that you're only saving yourself 2 keystrokes while looking like dumbass in the process.

A bad abbreviation is one that doesn't save a significant number or significant percentage of keystrokes. Compare "u" to "stfw" -- "u" shortens "you" by 2 characters, saving you two keypresses. On the other hand, "stfw" shortens "search the fucking web" by 18 or so keypresses. If you're typing 180 cpm, "search the fucking web" will take you about 10 seconds to write, where "stfw" will take you more like 1-2 seconds, for a savings of a whole 8 seconds of your life. On the other hand the time you save thinking "I'll abbreviate you to u" and finding the "u" key isn't significant. As you get to be a faster typist, you would probably tend to move away from the tradeoff "look like an idiot but type a bit faster" with the diminished returns of the cost of keystrokes.

I recommend www.typera.tk to get you over your inability to type as fast as you think, I'd call 150-200 cpm a fairly "normal" range where you can probably keep up with your mental dialogue without too much difficulty. If you're below that you should consider finding a copy of the game "Typing of the Dead" -- which is the greatest learning-to-type game ever created, and get faster.

Of course, refusal to improve at a skill because you're attached to shortcuts also falls under that "aliteracy" thing... the attitude "I will not improve myself or my abilities" is in my opinion despicable, changing you from a human to a useless husk, a waste of biomass and at best a replacable nearly valueless consumer.