Morphological Varieties in Social Media Language

Abstract

The development of social media has introduced significant changes in language practices, including the emergence of various forms of linguistic creativity in digital communication. Language used on social media functions not only as a means of information exchange but also as a representation of identity, communication styles, and characteristics of user communities. This study aims to analyze morphological varieties in social media language by focusing on the forms, formation processes, and functions of morphological expressions in digital communication. This study employed a descriptive qualitative approach from a digital sociolinguistic perspective. The data consisted of written utterances collected from TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and other digital discussion spaces during the period of January–June 2024. Data were collected through observation using non-participatory observation techniques and documentation, while data analysis followed the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña, consisting of data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings reveal that morphological varieties in social media language are formed through several major processes, including prefix deletion, informal affixation, word shortening and compression, particle usage, bound element addition, and reduplication. Forms such as ngerti from mengerti, nyuci from mencuci, ngurusin from mengurusi, and yaudah from ya sudah demonstrate the tendency toward linguistic simplification in digital communication. These findings indicate that morphological varieties in social media should not be regarded as language deviations but rather as linguistic innovations reflecting users’ creativity in constructing effective, expressive, and identity-based communication within digital communities.