Analyzing the Impact of Social Media on the Development of Personality Speech at Different Stages of Ontogenesis

Abstract

Aim. This study explores the impact of social media on modern language, focusing on vocabulary, grammar, language complexity, and communication patterns. Language complexity is understood as a multifaceted concept that includes syntax, semantics, pragmatics, phonetics, phonology, and morphology. As language continually evolves alongside cultural and technological shifts, social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok have become influential spaces where language adapts and changes. This research examines how digital communication promotes the use of slang, abbreviations, emojis, and informal expressions, reshaping how users interact and express ideas online. Employing a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative analyses, the study analyzes language use on these platforms and identifies significant trends. Methodology. This study adopts a mixed-methods approach to explore the dynamic relationship between language and digital communication across social media platforms. Guided by an applied linguistics orientation, the research prioritizes real-world language use, with a focus on discourse features, code-switching, pragmatic functions, orthographic variation, and textual abbreviation patterns. These elements are examined through both qualitative and quantitative lenses to generate a nuanced understanding of linguistic behavior in online settings. Results. Results show that social media is especially popular among younger users’ particularly teenage females with lower secondary education and that informal language dominates digital communication. However, users often adjust their language style depending on the platform, audience, and purpose, balancing clarity with creativity. Formal language remains reserved for professional and specific contexts. The findings suggest that social media fosters linguistic flexibility and cognitive efficiency by encouraging users to adapt their language to different contexts and audiences. This environment supports language creativity and innovation but also challenges traditional norms of grammar and communication clarity. Overall, the study highlights the dual role of social media as both a catalyst for linguistic change and a space where language complexity is negotiated and redefined.

Keywords

• personality, ontogenesis, development of personality speech social media, modern language, language complexity, communication trends, linguistic changes.