Popular culture is undergoing shifts and changes that are reshaping how we experience it, where we experience it, and what our experience of it means for the ways we engage with our lives (331). The changes have been impacted by the transformation of technology that has provided for digital platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, and other social platforms where individuals use gadgets such as smartphones, laptops, and computers to surf the digital platforms. Further, the sites have proved the world is a global village in terms of communication. As a result, it has led to a new breed of language slang that has influenced the way people communicate. Precisely, in Canada, the digital platforms have ingrained a contemporary lifestyle in communication in individuals as the country has since been influenced by new shortened twists of phrase and keystrokes, acronyms, and effective emoticons have become commonplace.
The internet is a linguistic threat; given that the English language today has one of the largest populations of speakers in Canada, it is crucial to evaluate the language’s fate. Similarly, the popular slang that has altered the language and therefore it has now affected to dire repercussions on communication. The speculation is that this might spell the end for more challenging and non-fundamental portions of the English language, for instance, word ‘whom’, which even native speakers seldom grasp. Consequently, as users get more familiar with the economy of the phrase, shortcuts utilized by the vast majority of youth Canadian English speakers, such as the usage of the word ‘Ima’ to mean ‘I am going to,’ becomes more common. For the first time, slang terms that previously evolved and expanded only within limited, closely-knit communities. In this regard, fans of a particular genre of music in specific geography are now played out in a more visible environment, such as the YouTube comments section for a particular music video, hence the propagation of slang words.
Due to the traditions of the internet, there is a compelling justification for practical, casual, gender-neutral, and, most all, short terms. Perhaps the most significant effect of the internet on language is the promotion of shorter words at the cost of long and difficult-to-type ones. For instance, Canadians emphasizes that the purpose of language decrease a few components (like illogical pronunciations like ‘through’), and selecting others (such as logical spellings like ‘thru’) is the motivation for higher effectiveness. As a result, it has bred lazy people and, in specific, the youths of Canada. The unbridled use of the digital platforms using the shortened words has detrimentally impacted them, hence they have incorporated them into formal writings, affecting their writing skills.
Additionally, the internet enables speakers of disparate languages to connect in unforeseen ways, resulting in an interchange of ideas. A variety of English languages such as Canadian, American, and British English are already being used on the same digital platforms, resulting in a cross-pollination of norms such as spelling and new terminology. For instance, Drake, a Canadian recording artist, coined YOLO, an abbreviation for You Only Live Once, in 2011 (Dziubina 156). The term has now expanded and become increasingly prevalent throughout the internet. It is now such a widely recognized word that the Telegraph, a British broadsheet daily, recently expressed amazement that political leaders use it too. While YOLO had previously appeared in numerous rap and pop recordings, it seemed to gain traction around this time. That is probably indicative of the impact the internet may have on popularizing linguistic words that were previously exclusive for followers of a particular musical genre. Cultures have continually shared ideas – the internet is only expediting the process.
People are able to learn languages through diasporic groups online. Therefore, it has led to a multilingual Internet and allowed them to connect with a global network. Hence, more outstanding local and international engagement asserts newer personalities. Individuals’ contextual language ecology determines the language spoken by multilingual speakers online. Geographic, educational, linguistic, social, and cultural backgrounds are considered, and the target audience and topic matter. Code-switching, for example, online users may engage in more multilingual discussions thanks to technology like Google Translate, which uses bilingual text collections to discover standard translations. Hence, may take it to adverse impact on translation that ultimately alters communication since direct translation is typical with Google Translate and frequently ends in incomprehensible literal translations.
Language loses its priority in the digital era as a message’s content is progressively defined by modalities. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt a semiotics-based theory that includes 3D objects and music. Digital storytelling is one example of how students may express themselves in many media. Learners may discover significant times in their lives and uncover new chances for creativity and cooperation by creating short personal tales using pictures, sounds, and text. In this way, contemporary storytelling expands language usage by combining several modalities to create meaning. A study of second language learners making films for foreign youngsters and leveraging their language and cultural resources may help students. Lessors might utilize English to demonstrate the second language competency while sharing linguistic and cultural expertise in their native language.
Moreover, online venues are more crucial for social identity formation in that the networks in these locations are created by technology and imagined collectives. These venues allow learners to interact with others and negotiate common values and collective standards. Online interaction offers new opportunities to use and deepen literacy. Because it is asynchronous and virtual, it may be less intimidating for some students. Applicable to learners, internet fan fiction may bring new learning and identity chances. By connecting with a comprehensive set of people interested in anime, language development and identity building are intertwined in online settings. Participants may add their identities to the learning process since growing digital literacy fosters involvement.
The internet has affected shallow reading, which has impacted poor communication in most Canadians. As Kenneth Goldsmith exacerbates, since individuals are no longer reading but scanning, they have lost the capacity to connect profoundly with a topic. Individuals skim and surf some material, but non-internet readers read other forms of content with great attention (Goldsmith). For instance, people have improperly abused the platforms; when looking over the shoulders of those immersed in their electronic gadgets on the train, many people can be seen reading newspapers and books, while many others are observed playing Candy Crush on their smartphones. Thus, someone can be reading a newspaper one minute and playing a game the next, which creates a poor reading habit.
Today, the majority of Canadians prefer social media dialogue over face-to-face interaction. As Turkle underscores, gadget dialogue has encroached on individuals and their mindsets, and as a result, they have lost their ability to converse and have been replaced with a connection through text and social media. He says we are tempted to think that our little “sips” of online connection ass up to a big gulp of real conversation. But they don’t; E-mail, Twitter, and Facebook all have their places – in politics, commerce, romance, and friendship. But no matter how valuable, they do not substitute for conversation (Enrique). His idea meant that face-to-face communication could not be replaced by other digital means, and failure to check the usage would detrimentally affect generation (Turkle 83). The absence of contact reduces the likelihood of developing the ability to reflect on one’s actions. Furthermore, excessive use of the platforms reveals social robots, which may ultimately be influenced to suffer catastrophic repercussions such as being unable to communicate with the elderly or other vulnerable people.
However, it is necessary to consider popular discourses and broad demographic dissatisfaction with the consequences of digital technology on daily life. These vary from fears regarding the dislocation of manifested activity and physical play (Luke et al. 3). Hence, it may lead to bullying, trolling, and symbolic violence, to commercial and sexual exploitation of children and adolescents. Regrettably, they may be susceptible to violence, pornography, intellectual brain washing, and overt illegal activity.
Ultimately, it is inevitable that languages change over time, and this process has indeed started. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust gracefully to this new situation. Although not all transformation is negative, humans would not be able to learn new words from other cultures if individuals did not undergo this change. Despite the fact that the internet has both advantages and disadvantages, undoubtedly, the internet has had an impact on language up to a specific point. In terms of translations, the internet may not be able to completely substitute human intelligence at this time or arguably not yet, but it has definitely altered the way we exercise and interact with language. Consider the above when using Google Translate for formal interactions in the future. Make certain that the translation is checked by someone who is not a robot before proceeding.
Works Cited
Dziubina, O. I. “The Emergence and Functioning of Neologisms in the Sphere of Pop Music Culture.” Cutting Edge-Science, 2020, pp. 1-155.
Enrique. “Summary for ‘the Flight from Conversation’ by Sherry Turkle | ENG 3773-D576: Advanced Technical Writing.” Cuny.edu, Web.
Goldsmith, Kenneth. “Go Ahead: Waste Time on the Internet.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, Web.
Goldsmith, Kenneth. Wasting Time on the Internet. 2016. New York: Harper Perennial.
Luke, Allan, et al. “Digital ethics, political economy, and the curriculum: This changes everything.” Handbook of writing, literacies, and education in digital cultures, 2018, pp. 251-262.
Turkle, Sherry. Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age. New York: Penguin Books, 2016.