The Use of Slang by Gen Z Female Influencers on Instagram and Twitter (X)

Communication on social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter (X) is inherently informal, colloquial, and non-standard, making it an ideal space for the use of slang, a central focus of this small-scale study. This research aims to investigate the use of slang by female Gen Z influencers on Instagram and Twitter (X). The objectives are: (1) to identify the types of slang used, and (2) to determine the most frequently used slang. Purposive sampling was utilized to select five participants, all female Malaysian beauty and lifestyle influencers born between 1996 and the present, representing Generation Z (Gen Z). All the selected influencers belong to the macro-influencer category, with 100,000 to 1 million followers on their Instagram and Twitter (X) accounts. Data for the study were collected from Instagram and Twitter posts of these influencers, focusing on posts containing slang. Content analysis was employed to examine the slang in these posts, using Barseghyan’s (2013) framework of slang types for categorization. The posts were coded and categorized into major themes based on Barseghyan’s classifications. The findings revealed that the participants used eight out of the ten slang types proposed by Barseghyan (2013): (1) letter homophones, (2) punctuation, capitalization, and other symbols, (3) onomatopoeic spellings, (4) keyboard-generated icons and smileys, (5) flaming, (6) shortening, (7) clipping, and (8) compounding. Among these, “shortening†emerged as the most frequently used type of slang. This study holds several significant implications. It advances slang research within sociolinguistics, particularly in the context of internet and modern slang, and enriches the literature on linguistic practices in online communication. Furthermore, it provides a valuable reference for future researchers interested in internet and Gen Z slang. The study also offers guidance for developing innovative research topics and methodologies, supporting a deeper understanding of the linguistic impact of contemporary slang usage.