Himanshi Jaiswal
Published in Vol.15, 2025
KEYWORDS: Social media slang, academic writing, informal expression, digital communication, register, linguistic influence, undergraduate education, English pedagogy, code-switching, writing instruction.
ABSTRACT:
In the 21st century, language has undergone a dramatic transformation due to the rise of digital platforms—especially social media. This shift has resulted in the widespread use of social media slang, a non-standard linguistic style that includes abbreviations, acronyms, emojis, memes, phonetic spellings, intentional grammar deviations, and informal tone. While this form of expression enhances speed and relatability in online communication, its influence on academic writing has become a growing concern in higher education.
This study explores how social media slang has permeated the academic writing of undergraduate students in India, particularly within technical education contexts. Through qualitative research involving writing samples, classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews, the paper identifies recurring linguistic features transferred from social media into formal writing. These include shortened words like “u” (you), “bcz” (because), emoticons, filler phrases, casual tone, and syntactic errors. Such patterns suggest that prolonged digital exposure is reshaping how students perceive and execute academic writing tasks.
Beyond identifying patterns, the study investigates the reasons behind this shift. It finds that students’ increasing reliance on smartphones for academic work, lack of explicit instruction on writing conventions, and normalization of informal expression are major contributing factors. The study acknowledges the creative and adaptive nature of informal language but argues that context- specific communication skills are critical for academic and professional success.
This research concludes by emphasizing the importance of register-awareness and recommends integrating digital literacy, academic writing workshops, and feedback-based instruction into undergraduate curricula. The goal is not to reject the language of digital spaces but to ensure students can code-switch effectively between informal and formal registers with clarity, control, and confidence.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64833/hislopia.j.vol.15.issue1.128-140