From unfriend to selfie,
social media is clearly having an impact on language
. … And because the language we use to communicate with each other tends to be more malleable than formal writing, the combination of informal, personal communication and the mass audience afforded by social media is a recipe for rapid change.
Thanks to technology, the English language is changing faster than ever, especially for the language’s youngest speakers. And according to a new survey – some of the language’s older speakers may be getting left in the dust.
Social media plays a dominant role in English language learning because it provides opportunities to the English language learners
to improve their writing, reading
, and similarly, to read new text and phrases to improve their vocabulary.
A whole host of words originating from social media and the wider Internet have become so commonplace that they’ve now slipped into popular usage, and we don’t even realize it. … In this way the people who engage with social media are quite literally
creating new words and giving new meanings to existing words
.
Grammar and spelling are most important in school, but mistakes are acceptable on social media.
Writing too fast
– Social media has increased the need for fast information. Writing too fast increases errors and gives less time to think. Students are quick to post without revising or thinking about what they wrote.
The findings demonstrate that social media plays a significant role in learning English, revealing that the participants use social media to
enhance their vocabulary development, reading, and listening skills
, which consequently improves their English language ability.
Social media is also hurting our communication skills as it is
inhibiting the ability of today’s youth to communicate face to face
. Most young people today don’t know how to talk to someone unless they’re limited to 144 characters or less.
More so as
there are no regulators in social media
in terms of content, and in terms of grammar, you can splice as many commas as you’d like in Whatsapp or text messages to your friends or posts on Facebook, but in the workplace, for external facing content like marketing brochures or flyers, you would want to use …
In addition to this,
English
as the Lingua Franca that is used for communications in social media, business and in education around the world, in order to secure its command among the highest possible number of people.
- Inadequacy about your life or appearance. …
- Fear of missing out (FOMO). …
- Isolation. …
- Depression and anxiety. …
- Cyberbullying. …
- Self-absorption. …
- A fear of missing out (FOMO) can keep you returning to social media over and over again.
- Build relationships. Social media is not just about brands connecting with their customers. …
- Share your expertise. Social media gives you an opportunity to talk about what you know and what you want to be known for. …
- Increase your visibility. …
- Educate yourself. …
- Connect anytime.
Social media has
some damaging effects on communication skills
and unfortunately lasting damaging effects when social media is used in excess or obsessively. One, it affects the ways individuals react to emotions, social cues or nonverbal cues, as it erases this important aspect of the basis of communication.
The study found that students who spent the most time using social media had “
fewer academic behaviors
, such as completing homework and attending class, lower academic confidence and more problems affecting their school work, like lack of sleep and substance abuse.”
That’s because social media allows you to express yourself creatively, thereby, enabling you to have a strong understanding of how the English language works. … However, in a new study, researchers found that the
use of social media can actually enhance your ability to read and write coherently
.
Title: Social media usage and its impact on reading habits: a study of Koforidua Polytechnic students. … The study revealed that there is a relationship between time spent on social media and reading habits and that constant use of social media leads to
low reading habits
.
- Join an English-language learning group. …
- Create your own Facebook group. …
- Follow organizations, companies, and teachers who share language advice. …
- Use YouTube to learn pronunciation. …
- Connect with native English speakers.