2025
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NEW RENAISSANCE
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THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON DIGITAL LITERACY: A LINGUISTIC
ANALYSIS OF TELEGRAM COMMUNICATION
Mahkamova Matlubaxon Izzatillo qizi
Fergana State University, Faculty of Foreign Languages
Department of English Philology and Language Teaching
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15492045
Abstract. In today’s digital age, literacy includes not only the ability to read and write
but also to understand, interpret, and re-express information correctly. The development of
technology and the widespread use of social media have negatively affected literacy levels. This
study examines the decline in literacy due to syntactic and punctuation changes observed in
Telegram and Instagram posts, highlighting the simplification and in formalization of written
communication.
Keywords: digital literacy, social media communication, syntax and punctuation,
Telegram, informal language, spelling errors, language change.
Annotatsiya. Bugungi raqamli asrda savodxonlik faqatgina o‘qish va yozish
qobiliyatini emas, balki ma’lumotni to‘g‘ri tushunish, talqin qilish va qayta ifodalash
ko‘nikmalarini ham o‘z ichiga oladi. Texnologiyaning rivojlanishi va ijtimoiy tarmoqlarning
keng tarqalishi savodxonlik darajasining pasayishiga salbiy ta’sir ko‘rsatmoqda. Ushbu
tadqiqot Telegram va Instagramdagi postlarda kuzatilayotgan sintaktik va punktuatsion
o‘zgarishlar orqali savodxonlikning pasayishini o‘rganadi hamda yozma muloqotda
soddalashuv va norasmiylashuv jarayonlarini yoritadi.
Kalit so‘zlar: raqamli savodxonlik, ijtimoiy tarmoqdagi muloqot, sintaksis va
punktuatsiya, Telegram, norasmiy til, imlo xatolari, til o‘zgarishi.
Аннотация. В современную цифровую эпоху грамотность включает не только
умение читать и писать, но и способность правильно понимать, интерпретировать и
переосмысливать информацию. Развитие технологий и широкое распространение
социальных сетей оказывают негативное влияние на уровень грамотности. В данном
исследовании рассматривается снижение уровня грамотности через синтаксические и
пунктуационные изменения, наблюдаемые в постах на Telegram и Instagram, с акцентом
на упрощение и неформализацию письменной коммуникации.
Ключевые слова: цифровая грамотность, коммуникация в социальных сетях,
синтаксис и пунктуация, Telegram, неформальный язык, орфографические ошибки,
языковые изменения.
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Introduction
If we define the concept of literacy, literacy is the ability of individuals to write, read,
and express their thoughts clearly. In today's modern life, literacy encompasses not only reading
and writing texts, but also the ability to correctly understand, interpret, and re-express
information with one's own opinion. As UNESCO (2006) states: "Literacy is a key factor in
personal and social development, providing individuals with the skills necessary for active
participation in everyday life and society."[5] In addition, literacy plays an important role in
linguistics, ensuring adherence to language norms, and the construction of logically,
stylistically, and grammatically correct sentences. Nevertheless, several internal and external
factors are causing a decline in literacy levels. In particular, the development of digital
technologies and the widespread use of social networks are negatively affecting literacy. The
habit of writing quickly and briefly on social media platforms is leading people to pay less
attention to spelling and stylistic accuracy. According to Naomi Baron (2008): "The culture of
fast writing and instant messaging prioritizes speed and convenience over grammatical and
stylistic precision, leading to a decline in literacy levels."[1]This observation is highly relevant
today. Furthermore, the decline in book reading is also contributing to the decrease in literacy.
In the contemporary digital age, people tend to spend more time on social networks rather than
engaging with books.
Methodology
In this study, real written communications were observed on Telegram and Instagram
platforms. Text samples, including user messages, advertisements, and group posts, were
analyzed to identify errors in spelling and stylistic structure. The main goal was to highlight
how these mistakes impact literacy and the overall culture of written communication.
Results
The simplification and in formalization of language in communication have become
major issues. The language used on the Internet and social networks is often simplified and
does not meet grammatical and stylistic standards, which negatively affects not only written
communication but also spoken language culture.
Today's digital age has changed the way people communicate with each other. Their
conversations are faster, shorter, and often informal. Social networks such as Telegram,
Instagram, and WhatsApp are now becoming the main means of communication. Currently,
thousands of people express their opinions on such platforms. They use various personal
opinions, advertisements, and group correspondence without paying attention to errors such as
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spelling, lexical punctuation, etc. People usually prefer quick and short messages. However, as
a result of these observations, it became clear that literacy, in addition to the impact of errors in
correspondence, also has a negative impact on the quality of communication.
Currently, people make spelling mistakes in their messages due to haste, inattention, or
low literacy during communication. For example, an advertisement for a course reads "A new
group of English has been opened. "In such posts, the use of the letters and spelling is not given
importance. In addition, in some texts, the inappropriate use of tense and person suffixes, and
the writing of words based on their oral pronunciation are becoming popular, for example, the
sentence in uzbek spoken language people often pronounce "bir nimalar" as "binnimalar", but
in written texts it should correctly appear as" bir nimalar". The mistakes made as a result of
such negligence not only negatively affect the literacy level of the writer but also give the
impression to readers that they should write their thoughts faster and shorter in messages.
In the current age of technology, advertisements and announcements spread on social
networks are usually used in the form of oral speech, in an informal language. For example,
"You will speak English in 3 months," this message affects not only the official but also the
credible appearance of the course. In fact, such messages in advertisements and announcements
should be expressed in a sentence such as: "We will create an opportunity for you to speak
English fluently in 3 months," which is a significant advantage in order and style. The correct
and error-free use of words gains the attention and trust of the audience. We can see such
mistakes around us every day, not only on social networks but also in advertisements hanging
on the shelves of magazines and cafes. This negligence has a negative impact on language
learners.
Discussion
The study revealed that the current trend of quick communication, informal style, and
abbreviation on social networks significantly contributes to the deterioration of literacy
standards. Errors in grammar, spelling, and stylistics not only reflect individual carelessness
but also spread widely among users, gradually shaping a culture of writing that deviates from
traditional norms. If left unchecked, this tendency can lower the general level of literacy,
especially among young users who are most active on digital platforms. Comments on the
Telegram and Instagram do show David Crystal's opinion about the Internet playing a serious
role in the changes of the way of communication. As Crystal explains, people are chucking
conventional punctuation and grammar aside in order to communicate more rapidly in a more
efficient and more casual manner.[2] This change can be observed especially on Telegram or
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Instagram, where it's all about direct communication and less about those details of the correct
grammar. Emoji, acronyms, and partial sentences have become part of the fabric of quickly
expressing what is on our minds now, sometimes replacing traditional punctuation or entire
grammatical sentences. These shifts reflect a broader transformation the use of language in
digital space. Moreover, the rapid exchange of messages on social platforms simplifies
language structures, which significantly impacts syntactic consistency". This emphasizes how
social media and digital platforms influence language, often causing speed and short messages.
Conclusion
In today's era of developing digital technology, the quality of each correspondence is of
great importance. Each user should pay attention to spelling errors, punctuation marks, and
follow the rules of style in their messages. Developing writing by paying attention to these
errors can contribute not only to increasing the level of personal but also to the literacy of
society and the development of a culture of communication. In the future, negligence and
inattention to mistakes made because of preferring brevity and speed may lead to a decrease in
the level of knowledge of young people. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce effective
programs and control mechanisms to increase digital literacy.
References:
1.
Baron, N. (2008). Always on: Language in an online and mobile world. Oxford
University Press.
2.
Crystal, D. (2006). Language and the Internet. Cambridge University Press.
3.
Literacy:
Definitions
and
Implications.
(1991).
JSTOR.
Retrieved from
https://www.jstor.org/stable/41404494
4.
Herring, S. C. (2004). Computer-mediated communication: Linguistic, social, and
cultural
aspects.
The
Handbook
of
Discourse
Analysis,
1,
1-19.
https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118320226.ch1
5.
UNESCO. (2006). The impact of new technologies on literacy and education. UNESCO
Publishing.
