It’s gotten far, far worse. There’s always been an online lingo like this from way back in chat groups or apps like AIM or IRC, but texting shorthand when we had phone keypads and limited texting was way more legible. We shortened the word count more than the letter count and autocomplete wasn’t a thing. Now the shorthand is completely unnecessary and has become more of a stylistic choice than a necessity. I don’t mind it, but when coupled with generational slang it can become indecipherable.