Casual speech (tameguchi)
Overview
Casual speech (tameguchi, the Japanese word for talking without honorifics) refers to a casual way of speaking that doesn't use polite language. "Tame" means "equal," and it is the way of speaking you use with someone on equal terms. Casual speech is natural between friends or classmates, but using casual speech with someone senior to you or someone you've just met is considered rude.
On social media, the standard for casual speech becomes blurry. Face to face, people switch between polite language and casual speech based on age or rank, but on social media you sometimes don't know the other person's age. As a result, social media tends to become a casual space that leans toward casual speech.
Question boxes and casual speech
In a question box, anonymous senders sometimes ask questions in casual speech. "What's ur fave food?" "Whatcha been up to lately?" Some people answering find this unpleasant, while others don't mind.
If the person answering is older, they may feel that a question in casual speech is "rude." But the sender may not know the age of the person answering, or may simply be going along with the casual atmosphere of social media. Casual speech does not equal ill will. Differences in culture, generation, and the atmosphere of each platform shape how casual speech is interpreted.
Content over wording
For the person answering a question box, it's important to look at the content of a question rather than its wording. There are good questions in casual speech, and there are nasty questions in polite phrasing. "What's ur fave food?" and "Would you mind telling me your favorite food?" differ in wording, but what they ask is the same.
The person answering can decide what kind of wording is welcome in their own question box. Stating clearly "Casual speech is OK" and writing "Please use polite language" are both ways of setting rules. There's no right answer. You get to design, yourself, a space where you feel comfortable. That's the freedom of a question box.