The influence of Social Media on Gen-Z students’ knowledge of slang: How motivation and age influence this process

Abstract

Social media platforms are used worldwide by a lot of people, especially among young generations (Karthigesu et al., 2018, Pikhart & Botezat, 2021, and Dean, 2021). Specific vocabulary is used in these kinds of platforms, called slang. One of the types that are found more is Initialisms and Acronyms, which form a remarkable part of slang. Gen-Z people, born between 1997 and 2012, are one of the groups that spend the most time on social media. The aim of this study is to understand how Gen-Z students learn slang, their meaning, and if age and motivation have an influence on the number of slang students know. Following this line, a questionnaire to two different groups, a senior year class in high school and a senior year class in university has been submitted. Students have to demonstrate their knowledge of slang, but we always need to keep in mind their age and their motivation towards learning English. The questionnaire was formed of 4 different parts, a total of 24 questions. Within this questionnaire, the results are expected to show whether students do learn slang by being exposed to slang on social media and how they have learned their meaning. Additionally, age and motivation will be analysed so as to know whether any influence on their knowledge of social media slang has been undertaken.