FROM STREETS TO SCREENS: YOUTH SLANG AS A DRIVER OF LANGUAGE CHANGE IN THE DIGITAL ERA

Abstract

This article examines youth slang as a dynamic force driving language change in the digital era, focusing on the transition of informal expressions from street-based interaction to online communication platforms. With the rapid expansion of social media, messaging applications, and digital communities, youth slang has gained unprecedented visibility and influence, accelerating processes of lexical innovation, semantic shift, and pragmatic change. Drawing on sociolinguistic and discourse-analytic perspectives, the study explores how young speakers creatively manipulate language to construct social identity, signal group membership, and negotiate meaning in digital spaces. Particular attention is paid to the role of multimodality, including emojis, abbreviations, and hybrid language forms, in reshaping contemporary slang usage. The article also discusses how digitally mediated youth slang contributes to the diffusion of non-standard forms into mainstream language, challenging traditional norms of correctness and standardization. By analyzing authentic examples from online discourse, the study highlights the interaction between technological affordances and linguistic creativity. The findings suggest that youth slang functions not only as a marker of generational identity but also as a significant catalyst for ongoing language change, reflecting broader social, cultural, and technological transformations in modern communication.