THE LINGUISTIC IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA:A THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF LANGUAGE CHANGE IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Marya Sarwara, R. Ramzanb, Rabail Memonc, Zunaira Rehmand
- aLecturer, Department of English, University of Okara, Pakistan
- bMPhil Applied Linguistics, Kinnaird College for Women University, Lahore, Pakistan
- cMS Scholar, Centre of English Language & Linguistics, Mehran University of Engineering & Technology, Jamshoro, Pakistan
- dMS English Linguistics Scholar, COMSATS University Islamabad, Pakistan
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Abstract
Social media has revolutionized the way people communicate, leading to significant shifts in language use across digital platforms. A significant number of studies are available on linguistic expressions and social media usage, but limited research is available on the linguistic impact of social media by reviewing existing literature on lexical innovation, grammatical variation, and discourse transformation in online communication. The research adopts a qualitative, review-based research design. The thematic analysis of the study highlights that social media promotes rapid lexical growth, introducing new words, abbreviations, and hybrid terms. The main focus of the study is on neologisms, slang, acronyms, hashtag language, sentence simplification, punctuation, lowercase usage, informal grammar, emojis, gifs, memes, tone, speech acts, and online identity. Hashtags and emojis also act as semi-lexical tools. Online discourse simplifies syntax and relaxes grammar rules, creating informal, speech-like structures. Social media reshapes how users express tone, intent, and identity. Through multimodal communication, indirect speech acts, and performative language, users adapt traditional pragmatic tools for online spaces.