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

References

[1] Huseynova, R., Aliyeva, N., Habibova, K., 2024. The evolution of the English language in the internet and social media era. Cadernos de Educação Tecnologia e Sociedade. 17(se4), 299–314. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14571/brajets.v17.nse4.299-314

[2] Manurung, J., Napitupulu, M.H., Simangunsong, H., 2022. Exploring the Impact of Slang Usage Among Students on WhatsApp: A Dig-ital Linguistic Analysis. Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan Dan Humaniora. 11(2), 153–169. DOI: https://doi.org/10.35335/jiph.v11i2.21

[3] Sundaram, A., Subramaniam, H., Ab Hamid, S H., 2023. A Systematic Literature Review on Social Media Slang Analytics in Contemporary Discourse. IEEE Access. 11, 132457–132471. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3334278

[4] Sharapanovska, Y.V., 2024. Linguistic features of English-language internet discourse. Available from: https://dspace.uzhnu.edu.ua/jspui/handle/lib/65219

[5] Akhmedova, S., 2024. The Influence of Social Media on Language Evolution. Science and Innovation. 3(C10), 51–58.

[6] Drăguşin, E.D., 2024. The clipped language revolution: Exploring clipping in contemporary Social media English. Intertext. 1, 32–44.

[7] Pennycook, A., 2017. The cultural politics of English as an international language. Routledge: London, UK.

[8] Lüders, A., Dinkelberg, A., Quayle, M., 2022. Becoming “us” in digital spaces: How online users creatively and strategically exploit social media affordances to build up social identity. Acta Psychologica. 228, 103643. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103643

[9] Chyrvonyi, O.S., 2024. The evolution of social media language: A sociolinguistic analysis of recent neologisms. Available from: https://dspace.uzhnu.edu.ua/jspui/handle/lib/68454

[10] Al-Khatib, M.A., Sabbah, E.H., 2008. Language choice in mobile text messages among Jordanian university students. SKY Journal of Linguistics. 21, 37–65.

[11] Palfreyman, D., Khalil, M. al., 2003. A funky language for teenzz to use:” Representing Gulf Arabic in instant messaging. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. 9(1), JCMC917. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2003.tb00355.x

[12] Dawaghreh, A., Suliman, M., 2024. Linguistic economy and slang as used by Jordanians on Twitter. Studies in English Language and Education. 11(1), 600–619. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v11i1.30988

[13] Khasawneh, M.A.S., Khasawneh, A.J., Turky Alshaikhi, D., et al., 2024. Social Media Language Patterns in Jordan: A Data-Driven Study of Regional Dialects. Migration Letters, 21(S2), 461–468.

[14] Rabab'ah, G.A., Rabab'ah, B.B., Suleiman, N.A., 2016. Instant Messaging Language in Jordanian Female School Students' Writing. Teaching English with Technology. 16(2), 116–142.

[15] Setiawan, D., 2018. Dampak Perkembangan Teknologi Informasi Dan Komunikasi Terhadap Budaya. JURNAL SIMBOLIKA: Research and Learning in Communication Study 4(1), 62. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31289/simbollika.v4i1.1474.

[16] Malik, K., Nicolas H., Milki A., 2022. Semantik Kata Serapan Dari Bahasa Arab Dalam Kamus Arab Melayu. Titian: Jurnal Ilmu Humaniora. 6(2 ), 264–282. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22437/titian.v6i2.22030 .

[17] Farhan F., Muhamad, I.A.A., Haunan N., et al., 2024. Tafsir Konten Bahasa Arab: Pandangan Mahasiswa Terhadap Penggunaan Bahasa Arab Di Era Digital. Perspektif: Jurnal Pendidikan Dan Ilmu Bahasa. 1, 171-175.

[18] Albirini, A., 2016. Modern Arabic Sociolinguistics: Diglossia, Variation, Code switching, Attitudes and Identity. Modern Arabic Sociolinguistics. Routledge: London, UK. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315683737.

[19] Lana, J., Renad, M., 2022. The Frequency of the English Language Used in Social Media by Undergraduate English Majors in Jordan. World Journal of English Language. 12(6), 352–360. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v12n6p352

[20] Umi K., 2013. Arabisasi Sebagai Modernisasi Bahasa Arab Dan Semangat Nasionalisme, 1 1–18.

[21] Asqi, N., Hailiyati, N., Ta'abudi, D.H., 2018. Fenomena Sosial dan Kebutuhan Arabisasi. Diwan: Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra Arab. 10(2), 969-984.

[22] Chen, M., Xiao, X., 2022. The effect of social media on the development of students' affective variables. Frontiers in Psychology. 13, 1–8.

[23] Cipolletta S, Malighetti C, Cenedese C, et al, 2020. How Can Adolescents Benefit from the Use of Social Networks? The iGeneration on Instagram. International journal of environmental research and public health. 17(19), 6952.

[24] Elena B., Giulia S., Rino A. et al, 2022. The Use of Social Media in Children and Adolescents: Scoping Review on the Potential Risks. International Journal Environment Research Public Health. 19(16), 1-33.

[25] Pinyerd, T., 2013. The effects of social media on college students. Hohonu. 12, 52–54.

[26] Oakley, A., 2015. Sex, gender and society (1st edition). Routledge: London, UK. pp. 1–184.

[27] Cameron, D., McAlinden, F., O'Leary, K. (1988). Lakoff in context: The social and linguistic functions of tag questions. Women in their speech communities, 74, 93. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/lpp-2015-0004

[28] Fforde, C., Bamblett, L., Lovett, R., 2013. Discourse, deficit and identity: Aboriginality, the race paradigm and the language of representation in contemporary Australia. Media International Australia. 149(1), 162–173.‏

[29] Baquedano-López, P., Garrett, P.B., 2022. On Becoming Bilingual (1st Edition)‏. Routledge: London, UK. pp. 1–160.

[30] Lakoff, R., 1973. Language and woman's place. Language in society. 2(1), 45–79.

[31] Tannen, D., 1992. You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation.Virago Press Ltd: London, UK. pp. 1–310.

[32] Kring, A.M., Gordon, A.H., 1998. Sex differences in emotion: expression, experience, and physiology. Journal of personality and social psychology. 74(3), 686.‏

[33] Davis, B.H., Brewer, J., Brewer, J.P., 1997. Electronic discourse: Linguistic individuals in virtual space. Suny Press: Albany, NY, USA.

[34] Collot, M., Belmore, N., 1996. Electronic language. Computer-mediated communication: Linguistic, social, and cross-cultural perspectives. 13–28.‏

[35] Herring, S., Stoerger, S., 2014. Gender and (A)nonymity in Computer-Mediated Communication. The Handbook of Language, Gender, and Sexuality: Second Edition. John Wiley & Sons: Hoboken, NJ, USA. pp. 567–586. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118584248.ch29

[36] Thurlow, C., Brown, A., 2003. Generation Txt? The sociolinguistics of young people's text-messaging. Discourse analysis online. 1(1), 30.‏

[37] Macfadyen, L.P., Roche, J., Doff, S., 2004. Communicating across cultures in cyberspace.‏ Available from: https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/13955/1/13955.pdf

[38] Al Rousan, R., Remil, N.E.H., 2018. Gender differences in the use of emojis in viber communication among university undergraduates. LILA'18, 58.‏

[39] Wilson, D., Sperber, D., 2004. The Handbook of Pragmatics. John Wiley & Sons: Hoboken, NJ, USA.

[40] Al-Jarrah, R.S., Dalu, A.M.A., Jarrah, M., 2015. A relevance–theoretical account of three Arabic pragmatic operators of concession in a political discourse. Lodz Papers in Pragmatics. 11(1), 51–76.

Downloads

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): In Progress

Article Type

Article

License

Copyright © 2025 Nashat Alshaboul

Creative Commons License

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