The influence of social media on the development of code-switching practices among Bangladeshi youth

Abstract

This research investigates the impact of social media on the evolution of code-switching behaviors among Bangladeshi adolescents. The researchers collected data from 63 participants between the ages of 23 and 26 years using a quantitative descriptive questionnaire distributed through the internet. The researchers examined how frequently participants used social media, how often they code-switched during interactions using both languages, and whether the amount of time spent digitally interacting with English (i.e., on Facebook) was related to their everyday use of English in traditional conversational settings. The study’s findings suggest that 98.4% of all participants engaged in some form of social media use several times a day; 74.2% spent over three hours per day on social media; 71% reported that they constantly used both Bangla and English during conversations; and 90.3% of respondents reported that code-switching was part of their everyday behavior. Additionally, 87.1% viewed social media as an important factor. Linguistic investigation shows that Bangla is the Matrix Language, while English is the Embedded Language. Only 12.9% preferred to use only Bangla; however, 90.4% were still engaged in code-switching, indicating a large disparity between ideology and practice. The study shows that the growing influence of digital communication on linguistic behavior may have an impact on linguistic identity and language policy.