TED SAKARYA COLLEGE / 8-C
From Letters to Likes
Hüseyin Şefik NALBANT ‣
176
Cultural transformation plays an important role in the growth of societies; however, it also brings both positive and negative consequences. One of the most noticeable problems is cultural deformation. This raises an important question: what has changed from the past to the present?
Initially, social media is one of the most influential inventions of the modern age, yet it comes with several disadvantages. For instance, the spread of misinformation, shorter attention spans, and reduced focus are common issues. More importantly, social media contributes to cultural deformation. But what exactly does this mean? Cultural deformation refers to the loss of semantic depth and the gradual disappearance of linguistic differences. Over time, this process acts like a parasite within a language, slowly weakening and damaging it. As a result, when a nation’ s language begins to disappear, its cultural identity also fades. A nation that is assimilated by other languages struggles to remain united and rebuilding that unity becomes extremely difficult.
So, how can we become more conscious users of social media? First, we should avoid using abbreviation in our language, such as“ bb,”“ slm,” or“ nbr.” In addition, protecting our language requires more than just avoiding abbreviations. We must also make an effort to use words that truly belong to our own language and preserve their semantic richness.
On the other hand, social media culture can also serve as a powerful tool for promoting a nation’ s identity. For example, when a country creates a meme that goes global, people around the world become more aware of that culture. Nevertheless, this is not always the case. Englishdominated content often assimilates other languages instead. Therefore, it is essential for individuals to be more conscious of how they use social media and the language they choose.