LINGUISTIC FEATURES OF DIGITAL COMMUNICATION: A CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL MEDIA DISCOURSE

Abstract

The rapid growth of social media platforms has transformed the nature of human communication, creating new linguistic patterns and discourse practices across cultures. This study investigates the linguistic features of digital communication in social media discourse through a cross-cultural analysis of English-speaking and non-English-speaking users. The research focuses on lexical innovations, abbreviations, emojis, code-switching, and pragmatic strategies employed in online interactions. Data were collected from public posts and comments on major social media platforms and analyzed using qualitative and quantitative discourse analysis methods. The findings reveal significant similarities and differences in digital communication styles across cultural contexts. While brevity, multimodality, and informality are common characteristics, cultural factors strongly influence language choice, politeness strategies, and the use of digital symbols. The study contributes to the growing field of digital linguistics and provides insights into the evolving nature of online communication in a globalized world