Though, languages do evolve...Is it so bad that we degenerate to bad grammar? Do you understand it? As much as I hate it, would I understand some kind of olde English tomfoolery compared to "hai2u" in a conversation? Would you?
I have no issue with language, or punctuation and grammar remaining liquid and open to change. I have no interest in pronouncing knight "Ka Neegt", and I fully embrace the emoticon and the interrobang (?!).
That being said, the loss of punctuation seems more a case of terrible timing than a serious shift in language. Apostrophes are not being neglected because we no longer have a use for them, but because a large portion of society was not properly taught how to use them in the first place. This just happened to coincide with the dawn of internet self-publication. Rote instruction might be dull, but it was effective with a larger percentage of students than learning through context.
As to interpreting Fowler's quote, he was writing in an artistic manner, using the written word as a means of aesthetic expression. Obi's translation is effective, but it does not demonstrate the shifting trends of language. It's like comparing Picasso to a street map. They serve different functions.
The current 'shifts' we are observing today seem to demonstrate an orientation towards sloppier language, likewhentherewerenospacesbetween wordsandeverythingwaswrittenlikethis. And although English is open-minded in that it accepts new words, it is more rigid than you think. The reason knight is spelled the way it is, despite a grossly different pronunciation, is due to the spelling being standardized hundreds of years ago. Punctuation is the standardized system to imply tone, organize thoughts, and traffic understanding. As punctuation is dropped, Truss notes that people are becoming more efficient readers and writers, in terms of quantity, largely due to the fact that they think about the material less. This has obvious drawbacks.
The Internet is helping literacy, there is no doubt. The definition of literacy has expanded to include the issues it has brought to light. However, literacy itself is a slippery term, and can be measured from limitless angles, always subjectively or in a fragmented manner. The Internet is a powerful teacher, but it does not cover everything, much like the emoticon it has brought to life. My hope (and being an elementary teacher this time next year, I may have the means) is to try and curve the damage the Internet has caused an important convention of understanding.