Role of Social Media in Shaping Contemporary Language Trends: A Comparative Analysis with Western Slang Trend among Jordanian University Students

Authors

  • Nashat Alshaboul

    Department of English Language and Literature/Translation, School of Arts and Languages, Jadara University, Irbid 21110, Jordan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i4.9062
Received: 12 March 2025 | Revised: 25 March 2025 | Accepted: 26 March 2025 | Published Online: 10 April 2025

Abstract

The rise of social media has dramatically reshaped language practices worldwide, introducing new linguistic phenomena, including internet slang, which have become a significant part of digital communication. While internet slang has been widely studied in Western contexts, there is limited research on its use within Arab-speaking countries, particularly in Jordan. Given the growing prominence of social media among Jordanian university students, this study investigates the role of social media in shaping contemporary language trends, focusing on the use of internet western slang comparing with Arabic slang. The research utilizes a mixed-methods approach, combining a survey with 300 participants and a linguistic analysis of 500 social media posts. The survey examines the frequency, context, and attitudes toward Western and Arabic internet slang, while the linguistic analysis explores the most commonly used slang terms and their contextual meanings. The findings revealed that Western internet slang is widely used among Jordanian university students, particularly on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and WhatsApp, where slang serves functions such as humor, self-expression, and social commentary. Moreover, the study has also identified demographic differences in slang usage, with male students using slang more frequently than female students. Overall, the current research has provided valuable insights into how social media influences language trends in Jordan, contributing to a broader understanding of the role of digital communication in language evolution.

Keywords:

Internet Slang; Social Media; Linguistic Analysis; Jordan; University Students; Digital Communication

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How to Cite

Alshaboul, N. (2025). Role of Social Media in Shaping Contemporary Language Trends: A Comparative Analysis with Western Slang Trend among Jordanian University Students. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(4), 502–510. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i4.9062

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 4 (April 2025)

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Article

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Copyright © 2025 Nashat Alshaboul

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.