Using online practices on facebook: a study of males and females use of online linguistic and learning resources on a Facebook group, a Bourdieusian theoretical lens.

The immense growth of the internet shapes the way people communicate, by creating newforms of communication (Madge, et al 2019; Kahai and Lei, 2009). Social networking sites is aprominent way in which technology impacts individuals’ practices. Facebook is one of thedominant and important social network sites nowadays (Naseri, 217), not only used for socialpurposes, but also for academic ones (Laidfa, 2018; Mokededem, 2021). The digitalaffordances of Facebook groups provide a bi/multilingual environment for bi/multilingualusers to practise their linguistic habitus and perform their online social behaviour. This studyis sets out to examine the online linguistic practices, particularly the code-switching practicesof 17 Kabyle students, who are multilingual active Facebook users. The Kabyles are theAmazigh ethnic group of indigenous people of North Africa. These students are proficient inat least four languages: Tamazight language with its variety (Kabyle), Arabic language, French,and English in addition to other digital behaviours and semiotic features such as the use ofemoji, and internet memes. Nevertheless, the majority of studies tackle code-switching onFacebook, focusing mainly on its types and frequency. More attention is needed tounderstand the online practices of code switching in terms of the linguistic habitus and genderdynamics. The study of gender dynamics is pivotal as it depicts the way individual constructtheir online identities, revealing potential benefits in self-representation. The purpose of thisstudy is to explore how these adult participants use their linguistic resources on their socialinteraction and how these practices differ from males to females. Additionally, the studyfocuses on participants’ perceptions towards their own linguistic practices, while also givingdue consideration to how these perceptions are related to their linguistic habitus, socialcultural, and sociopsychological perspectives. Furthermore, the study aims at investigatingthe different online behaviours employed by each gender while commenting/posting onFacebook. For this reason, I conducted a qualitative study focusing on specific students’community on a Facebook group. Using an online ethnography, I explored the researchquestions by conducting an- in depth interview and online-observation of 17 participantsinvolved in sharing course related materials and linguistic resources. With findings arrived atthrough thematic analysis and qualitative content analysis. Importantly the findings revealedthat Facebook groups that are used for sharing educational resources among students createa sense of belonging and relatedness among students. Crucially too, the findings contendsthat the use of the linguistic dynamics vary between males and females’ practices in languageuse. This heterogeneity lies in the code-choice used by each gender, factors deriving thesechoices, audience, topic, and the use of emoji that each gender employs. It argues thatpolicymakers have a crucial role in fostering an environment that supports diverse linguisticpractices. Key recommendations include the development of teacher training programs tobetter integrate code-switching into teaching strategies, the revision of language policies toreflect the benefits of multilingualism, and the need for further research to evaluate theimpact of code-switching on student outcomes. By adopting such frameworks, educators andpolicymakers can enhance the learning experience and promote a more inclusive,linguistically diverse educational environment.