Do the rules of grammar and punctuation apply to social media?

[bluebellbkk]

I wish everyone would, because it's clear most people have no idea how confusing their messages can be when they skip punctuation, and you have to guess where one thought ends and another begins. No wonder there are so many cries of woe on the Etiquette section where people get angry with each other all the time for a text or Facebook comment - they simply misunderstand them. So many people think grammar and punctuation are an evil device to curb your creativity: in fact they're a priceless tool for making sure the people you're writing to actually understand what you meant them to understand.
But it's a losing battle.