THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS ON THE EVOLUTION OF MODERN ENGLISH VOCABULARY
Keywords:
social media, vocabulary change, modern English, digital communication, neologisms, internet slang, linguistic innovation, online discourse, lexical evolution, digital cultureAbstract
This article examines the influence of social media on the development and transformation of modern English vocabulary, highlighting the ways digital communication platforms shape linguistic behavior. In the past decade, social media networks such as Instagram, TikTok, Twitter (X), Facebook, and YouTube have become dominant spaces where language is created, modified, and rapidly disseminated. As users engage in multimodal communication, new lexical items—including neologisms, abbreviations, slang, and borrowed forms—emerge at an unprecedented speed. These lexical innovations frequently spread beyond digital contexts and enter spoken, academic, and even professional language. The study explores how linguistic creativity, identity formation, and social trends contribute to vocabulary shift, particularly among younger generations who use online communication more intensively.
The article additionally evaluates how the structure of social media—its algorithms, short-form content style, hashtag culture, and virality mechanisms—contributes to the widespread adoption of new vocabulary. Terms such as “ghosting,” “cancel culture,” “FOMO,” “vibe,” and “viral” illustrate how platform-specific meanings become globally recognized. Furthermore, social media fosters the development of hybrid vocabulary forms influenced by pop culture, internet memes, global English varieties, and multilingual online communities.
To analyze these phenomena, a qualitative approach combining content analysis, comparative linguistic methods, and observational data from trending digital interactions was employed. Results demonstrate that social media not only accelerates vocabulary evolution but also democratizes language creation by granting users equal participation in coining and spreading linguistic innovations. The study concludes that social media is one of the most influential contemporary forces shaping the English lexicon, driving rapid lexical change and reinforcing English as a dynamic, globally interconnected language.
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