Twenty-sixth International Conference on Learning

Abstract

The impact of social media in modernity’s thought processes and identity formation is unquestionable and has acquired a life of its own. It impacts anyone who uses it and for any reason. The discussion focuses on a vulnerable population that strives to “fit in”, the young and anyone who engages in almost any format of social media where English is used as the means to communicate. In this presentation we assume that languages are invaluable human capital because they embody, construct, and transmit knowledge and worldviews; languages also contribute to the shaping of human identity and cognition. We will discuss how social media can impact user identity, user homogenization, and potential mental colonization through its lingua franca, English, at the expense of the users’ first language and identity. We will be critical of these issues and look into how parents, educators, and anyone concerned with heritage language maintenance and language learning should be better prepared and critical consumers of social media to counter its effects while concentrating on maintaining and valuing their primary and home-based language and identity.