The transformation of language and communication in contemporary society through the use of digital tools
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36825/RITI.14.33.011Keywords:
Digital Communication, Linguistic Transformation, Digital Tools, Digital Literacy, Social Media LanguageAbstract
This study analyzes the transformation of language and communication among university students at a public institution in Guayaquil, Ecuador, resulting from the daily use of digital tools. A concurrent mixed-methods approach was employed, involving 385 surveyed students and 15 semi-structured interviews. Results show positive and significant correlations between the frequency of digital tool use and perceived linguistic transformations in lexical, multimodal, syntactic, and formal communication dimensions. The study concludes that digital language does not represent a degradation of the linguistic system but rather an adaptive reconstruction that demands the development of register-switching competencies in university education.
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