Language as identity and symbolic power on social media: Sociolinguistic practices of generation Z
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66817/ydhx3s72Keywords:
Generation Z; digital sociolinguistics; identity; symbolic power,Abstract
Social media has developed into a central sociolinguistic environment in which young people construct identity, negotiate belonging, and respond to unequal relations of visibility and authority. This study examines how linguistic practices associated with Indonesian Generation Z can be interpreted as resources for social identity and symbolic power. It employs a qualitative descriptive design and analyzes thirty constructed illustrative utterances representing recurrent patterns in Indonesian youth digital communication, including Indonesian-English code-mixing, slang, platform vocabulary, regional expressions, pronominal variation, register shifting, and discourse concerning followers, influencers, verification, administrators, workplace hierarchy, and algorithms. Because the dataset is constructed for analytical modelling, the study does not claim that the utterances are verbatim extracts from identifiable social-media accounts. The analysis is guided by Bucholtz and Hall's sociocultural linguistic approach to identity and Bourdieu's concepts of linguistic capital, linguistic market, symbolic capital, and symbolic power. The results reveal four dominant patterns: linguistic hybridity as an index of cosmopolitan and digitally competent identities; slang and digital vocabulary as resources for solidarity and generational belonging; regional and pronominal variation as resources for local and interpersonal positioning; and discourse about institutional, economic, and platform authority as evidence of symbolic power in digital interaction. The analysis further shows that English does not carry a fixed social value: it may index modernity and education, but it may also be parodied or resisted. Digital visibility, verification, follower counts, and algorithmic circulation similarly function as emerging forms of symbolic capital. The study argues that Generation Z's social-media language should be understood as a socially organized repertoire through which speakers construct identities, claim legitimacy, negotiate prestige, and challenge authority in contemporary digital linguistic markets.
References
Alhusna, A., & Febriana, N. (2022). Code mixing as woman identity: A case on Instagram captions of influencer. Jurnal Ilmiah Langue and Parole, 6(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.36057/jilp.v6i1.542
Alrefaee, Y. M. H. A., & Pasaribu, G. R. (2025). Hate speech on TikTok: A forensic linguistic study. JELIM: Journal of Education, Language, Social and Management, 3(2), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.65787/jelim.v3i2.617
Alhusna, A., Febriana, N., Dedi, & Chang, A. N. (2025). Constructing social identity: A linguistic analysis of generational language use on social media. EDU Research, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.47827/jer.v6i2.857
Androutsopoulos, J. (2015). Networked multilingualism: Some language practices on Facebook and their implications. International Journal of Bilingualism, 19(2), 185-205. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367006913489198
Anggarini, K. T., Putra, I. N. A. J., & Suwastini, N. K. A. (2022). An analysis of code-mixing used by the Indonesian top selebgram in social-media in product endorsement. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Indonesia, 10(1), 54-65. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpbi.v10i1.886
Blommaert, J. (2010). The sociolinguistics of globalization. Cambridge University Press.
Bourdieu, P. (1991). Language and symbolic power. Harvard University Press.
Bucholtz, M., & Hall, K. (2005). Identity and interaction: A sociocultural linguistic approach. Discourse Studies, 7(4-5), 585-614. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461445605054407
Celsia, N., Ariestya, S. D., Zahra, A. N. F., & Novinda, K. (2026). Code-switching in social media identity and social meaning among Indonesian youth. JPNM Jurnal Pustaka Nusantara Multidisiplin, 4(3). https://doi.org/10.59945/jpnm.v4i3.1391
Chairunnisa, C., & Pawitri, A. (2026). Penggunaan bahasa gaul pada TikTok sebagai representasi identitas sosial Generasi Z: Kajian sosiolinguistik. Jurnal Sasindo UNPAM, 14(1), 66-75. https://doi.org/10.32493/sasindo.v14i1.66-75
Coupland, N. (2007). Style: Language variation and identity. Cambridge University Press.
Durahman, E. U., & Anwar, A. A. (2025). Digital vernaculars: A systematic literature review on Indonesian Gen Z slang across social media platforms. Journal of English Language and Education, 10(4).
Eckert, P. (2012). Three waves of variation study: The emergence of meaning in the study of sociolinguistic variation. Annual Review of Anthropology, 41, 87-100. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-anthro-092611-145828
Febrian Tegar P. (2025). Fenomena campur kode dalam interaksi digital Gen Z: Analisis sosiolinguistik kolom komentar TikTok. Sarasvati, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.30742/sv.v7i1.4543
Gumperz, J. J. (1982). Discourse strategies. Cambridge University Press.
Girsang, W. T., Astri, N. D., & Pasaribu, G. R. (2026). Variasi bahasa dalam interaksi siswa dan guru Bahasa Indonesia di SMP Pangeran Antasari Medan. Pendas: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Dasar, 11(1), 215–235.
Habeahan, R. A., & Daulay, S. H. (2026). Analysis of code-mixing among Z Generation users on TikTok: A sociolinguistic study. Jurnal Pendidikan Tambusai, 10(2), 14367-14373. https://doi.org/10.31004/jptam.v10i2.39760
Hasjim, M., Arimi, S., Kushartanti, B., Arafah, B., & Taqdir. (2026). Language transformation in social media and its impact on the linguistic identity of Indonesian youth. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 17(1), 296-305. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1701.30
Haya, F. K. (2026). Code-switching as digital identity performance: Gendered expression on Indonesian TikTok. Language Horizon: Journal of Language Studies, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.26740/lh.v13i3.72600
Ismail, D., Khotimah, R. K., Nugraha, F., Livia, A. W., & Mutiara, G. (2025). The impact of social media TikTok on the use of code mixing by Generation Z. BIANTARA: Journal of Language and Culture, 1(2).
Manuhutu, M. A., Rahmadani, A. I., & Suardana, I. P. E. (2024). Language contact phenomena: A case study of Indonesian-English code-switching in social media communication. Focus Journal: Language Review, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.62795/fjlg.v2i2.291
Maziyah, E. N., Asrini, H. W., & Widodo, J. (2025). Code-switching as a representation of adolescent identity on social media: A social psycholinguistic perspective. Adjektiva: Educational Languages and Literature Studies, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.30872/adjektiva.v8i2.5474
Muysken, P. (2000). Bilingual speech: A typology of code-mixing. Cambridge University Press.
Myers-Scotton, C. (1993). Social motivations for codeswitching: Evidence from Africa. Oxford University Press.
Nur'aini, D., & Fitriana, F. (2024). Code-switching as a communicative strategy among Indonesian university students on social media. Jurnal Tahuri, 21(2), 155-172. https://doi.org/10.30598/tahurivol21issue2page155-172
Nurahmad, M., & Natsir, N. (2026). Alih kode dan campur kode dalam interaksi digital Generasi Z Indonesia: Kajian sosiolinguistik pada media sosial Instagram. Bhinneka: Jurnal Bintang Pendidikan dan Bahasa, 4(3). https://doi.org/10.59024/bhinneka.v4i3.1811
Page, R., Barton, D., Unger, J. W., & Zappavigna, M. (2014). Researching language and social media: A student guide. Routledge.
Pasaribu, G. R., & Mubshirah, D. (2025). Analisis bahasa tabu pada dialek Melayu Labuhan Batu Utara. PENDIS: Jurnal Pendidikan Ilmu Sosial, 4(2), 59–73. https://doi.org/10.61721/pendis.v4i2.667
Pasaribu, G. R., Salmiah, M., & Junaidi. (2024a). Linguistic landscape in Kualanamu International Airport. LingPoet: Journal of Linguistics and Literary Research, 5(1), 1–6.
Pasaribu, G. R., Salmiah, M., & Junaidi. (2024b). The function of language at Medan train station: Linguistic landscape study. International Journal Linguistics of Sumatra and Malay, 3(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.32734/ijlsm.v3i1.16457
Pennycook, A. (2010). Language as a local practice. Routledge.
Putra, R. W. Y., & Ambarwati, R. (2026). The construction of Indonesian adolescents' identity through code-switching: A discourse analysis of TikTok content. Journal of Life-Span Psychology, Linguistics, and Media Studies, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.64268/jllm.v1i02.9
Rosmaria. (2024). Changes in Indonesian students' linguistic identity in the use of code-mixing in Instagram captions: A digital sociolinguistic study. Journal of Linguistica, 1(2), 24-33. https://doi.org/10.62872/jol.v1i2.80
Seargeant, P., & Tagg, C. (Eds.). (2014). The language of social media: Identity and community on the internet. Palgrave Macmillan.
Shoolihah, R. (2024). Peristiwa campur kode berdasarkan kemampuan bilingualisme dalam sosial media: Instagram dan Twitter: Kajian sosiolinguistik. Jurnal Pena Indonesia, 10(1).
Suci, S. I., Setianingsih, T., & Nafisah, B. Z. (2026). Translanguaging and code-switching as identity construction for Generation Z on Instagram: A sociolinguistic study. Journal of Pragmatics Research, 8(2), 560-578. https://doi.org/10.18326/jopr.v8i2.560-578
Tagg, C. (2015). Exploring digital communication: Language in action. Routledge.
Tarihoran, N., Fachriyah, E., Tressyalina, & Sumirat, I. R. (2022). The impact of social media on the use of code mixing by Generation Z. International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies, 16(7), 54-69. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v16i07.27659
Zappavigna, M. (2012). Discourse of Twitter and social media: How we use language to create affiliation on the web. Continuum.
Zebua, Y., Munthe, L., Manik, S., & Suprayetno, E. (2025). Code-mixing of Indonesian and English on Instagram social media. Journal of Applied Linguistics, 4(2), 292-301. https://doi.org/10.52622/joal.v4i2.361
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 International Journal of Education, Language, and Literary Studies
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
