The Significance of Social Media Neologisms Across the Globe

Social media neologisms, new terms coined through digital platforms, have drastically altered human communication, and will only continue to do so as technology rapidly advances. These words and phrases develop alongside society as innovative technology, experiences, and phenomena are continuously introduced into everyday life. Although neologisms have been present throughout all time and social media's existence, research has identified that their popularity has exponentially increased in recent years. My research builds upon previous research while exploring how social media neologisms have evolved over the past five years, their impact on language formality, and the familiarity of these terms across various global regions. To obtain the data for this topic, I created a survey distributed to 24 first-year students at Gettysburg College. Twelve of these students were from regions within the United States, and twelve were from regions outside of the United States. The survey contained various questions to gauge student familiarity with a list of ten neologisms created through social media. The survey results revealed that domestic students spent a larger amount of time on social media platforms than international students, leading them to have a greater familiarity with social media terms. Additionally, international students displayed a lack of understanding of multiple social media neologisms such as “Doomscrolling” and “Cancel Culture,” which indicates that these terms are not widely used in non-American regions and cultures. The conduction of this survey provided insight into how geographical differences impact familiarity and understanding of various social media neologisms.