COMPUTER AND INTERNET TERMINOLOGY IN DIGITAL MEDIA DISCOURSE: A MEDIA-LINGUISTIC AND LINGUOPRAGMATIC STUDY

Abstract

The rapid development of computer technologies and the Internet has resulted in substantial changes in contemporary language and communication. Computer and Internet terminology, which was initially associated mainly with professional and technical discourse, has increasingly penetrated mass media, social networking sites, online journalism, advertising, blogs, and everyday digital communication. This study examines the linguistic and linguopragmatic characteristics of computer and Internet terminology in contemporary digital media discourse. The research focuses on the structural, semantic, functional, and pragmatic properties of technological terms such as algorithm, browser, website, platform, hyperlink, hashtag, livestream, influencer, upload, download, cloud, cybersecurity, phishing, and chatbot. The study applies descriptive, structural-semantic, contextual, discourse-analytical, and linguopragmatic methods. The analysis demonstrates that computer and Internet terminology in digital media performs not only a nominative function but also informative, evaluative, persuasive, attention-attracting, interpersonal, and identity-forming functions. Particular attention is paid to semantic extension, metaphorization, borrowing, abbreviation, clipping, and compounding as productive mechanisms in the development of digital terminology. The findings indicate that specialized technological terms frequently undergo semantic and pragmatic transformation when they move from professional discourse into digital media. Consequently, computer and Internet terminology should be regarded not merely as a specialized lexical subsystem but as a dynamic linguistic resource reflecting technological, social, and communicative changes in contemporary society