English and Identity in the Digital Age: Social Media, Code-Switching, and Linguistic Hybridity Among Jordanian Gen Z

Abstract

This study examines the impact of social media on the linguistic behavior of Jordanian Gen Z (born 1997–2012) through the lens of their daily use of colloquial speech as a reflection of sociocultural change. It delineates the dominant linguistic features of the language they use and attempts to address how these linguistic practices reflect the construction of identity and socio-cultural shifts among Jordanian Generation Z. Social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat heavily influence Generation Z's vernacular. This study employs a qualitative research approach to analyze pertinent data on code-switching, meme-driven expressions, and abbreviation combinations. Two primary methods of data collection were employed: social media data collection for discourse analysis and semi-structured interviews aimed at identifying the most frequently used expressions among Generation Z. Findings show that the vernacular of Jordanian Gen Z is dynamic, hybrid, and highly integrative in terms of global linguistic resources. This new digital Arabic sociolect poses numerous linguistic and cultural challenges for individuals. These include the necessity for extensive code-switching, the establishment of distinct online linguistic norms, the adaptation to cultural hybridity in language use, and the confrontation of linguistic divergence between generations.