The Effect Of Social Media Use On Lexical Innovation

Abstract

This research study investigates the relationship between the widespread usage of social platforms and the emergence and intake of new lexical units, a phenomenon which, in layman terms is known as lexical innovation. The population in the study is represented by the student population of the university where a representative sample[1] of the population was systematically chosen using random sampling method; the sample size was calculated based on a table provided by L.R. Gay to ensure statistical significance. A survey design was employed to collect data focusing on student's social media habits and their integration of neologism and informal language. This study explores the use of words such as doomscrolling, the act of obsessively consuming negative news online, ghosting abruptly ending communication with someone without explanation and stan an extremely enthusiastic fan. These examples of newly coined words illustrate the dynamic and rapidly evolving nature of language in the digital age. The hypothetical results of this study are likely to imply meaningful information about the huge role that social media plays in the formation of new linguistic standards and the course of the modern context of communication.