Question: Spanish people tend to use "x" instead of "ch" in internet language, for example:

> 
> "mandixo" = me han dicho  
> 
>  "noxe" = noche  
> 
>  "muxo" = mucho
> 
> 
> 

Why do they do that? Is it only because of save time/laziness reasons or does it have anything to do with imitating the oral language? 

Thanks for your answers.

Answer: 
x is pronounced "ch" (`/tʃ/`) in Valencian and Western Catalan (and pronounced the similar `/ʃ/` in Eastern Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, and Basque). 

Everybody in Spain knows this and it has become a common shortcut even in exclusively Spanish speaking regions, like *k* instead of *qu*. 

The multiplication sign X is used for "por" in areas beyond the mobile jargon. For example a promo commercial: "3 x 2" = tres por dos = the 3rd item for free, or "4x4" = cuatro por cuatro = a 4WD car.

That said, it does not serve the beauty of the literary Spanish language too much! 

(The good side of technology being that ebooks give us the opportunity to reread and discover more of Cervantes or Calderón de la Barca etc.)
Because is faster to write and sounds similar as in English because (bcos), today (2day) ... but *x* can sometimes mean *por* as in *xq* (porque).

For More information about abbreviations we use quite often: ["xq" in Internet slang/abbreviations](https://spanish.stackexchange.com/questions/583/xq-in-internet-slang-abbreviations/594#594)