ANALYSIS OF LANGUAGE CHANGE AND DIGITAL IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION IN GENERATION Z ONLINE COMMUNITIES

Abstrak

The development of digital communication within Generation Z online communities has generated dynamic language changes that are not merely linguistic in nature but also reflect complex social processes, identity construction, and power relations. This phenomenon is significant to examine given the role of digital language in shaping interaction patterns, literacy practices, and the social experiences of young people in the contemporary era. This study aims to explore how language change is interpreted and negotiated within Generation Z online communities through a qualitative approach employing a case study design. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, digital participant observation, and document analysis in the form of online interaction corpora, involving 15–20 participants actively engaged in digital communities. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns of meaning and contextualized experiences. The findings reveal three main themes: language functions as a marker of identity and social affiliation, as a space for negotiating meaning characterized by ambiguity and irony, and as an arena of ambivalence between self-expression and social pressure. These findings indicate that digital language serves not only as a medium of communication but also as a site for identity formation and contestation within a dynamic social context. Theoretically, this study contributes to the advancement of discourse analysis by integrating corpus-based approaches with qualitative interpretation. Practically, the findings have implications for the development of digital literacy, language education, and policies that are more responsive to the social and psychological dynamics of young people, while also opening avenues for further exploration in digital discourse studies.