‘In da clurb, we all fam’: The Role of Social Media in Shaping Linguistic Diversity among Gen Z
In today’s hyperconnected world, Gen Z is redefining language through social media. From TikTok trends to Instagram captions, English slang is becoming a shared digital dialect. But what does this mean for linguistic diversity across cultures? This thesis dives into that question—exploring how youth worldwide are using, adapting, and transforming language in real time. It also tackles the questions regarding the emergence of a potential global youth language.
How It Was Done: Behind the Research Curtain
This thesis employed a qualitative research design to explore how Gen Z interacts with English slang across cultures. The process began with a survey of Gen Z employees from Nestlé’s AOA region (Africa, Oceania, and Asia), revealing patterns in slang usage and social media habits. These insights were used to craft three unique personas that reflected varying degrees of slang engagement. To deepen the understanding, six semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants from across the region. These conversations offered rich personal insights into the digital and social use of slang. The interviews were thematically coded using MaxQDA, combining deductive and inductive methods to uncover patterns. The analysis was grounded in sociolinguistic theory—particularly concepts like English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), language shift, and code-switching—providing a layered and culturally informed interpretation of the data.
What We Found: A Slang-Fuelled, Glocal Gen Z
The findings show that English Gen Z slang is far more than fleeting jargon—it’s a powerful expression of identity, belonging, and connection. Slang enables young people to communicate quickly, playfully, and emotionally, acting as a shared shorthand across platforms like TikTok and Instagram. While this points to the rise of a global youth language, the story doesn’t end there. Instead of replacing native tongues, English slang is filtered through local lenses. This “glocalisation” results in hybrid expressions like “Hinglish” that merge global trends with regional realities. Social media accelerates this blending, creating vibrant linguistic spaces where code-switching and code-mixing are the norm. Demographic differences—such as age, gender, and language background—shape how slang is understood and used, revealing a landscape that is globally connected yet locally rooted. Ultimately, the Gen Z vernacular is as diverse and dynamic as the generation itself.
Final remarks
English Gen Z slang is not a threat to linguistic diversity—it’s a transformation of it. While English dominates the digital space, local languages adapt, resist, and remix it. Social media hasn’t created a homogenous global tongue, but a fluid, expressive glocal youth vernacular that reflects Gen Z’s values: connection, efficiency, and authenticity.