Arabic Language, Identity, and Digital Transformation Policy, Culture, and Social Media Practices in the Contemporary Arab World
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Abstract
The swift digital transformation of the contemporary world poses threats as much as challenges to the Arabic language. This article critically examines the interlinked roles of cultural identity, language policy, and digitalization in shaping modern Arabic use on the internet. The article defines three areas for discussion: the relationship between institutional policy and grassroots localization of Arabic in online environments; construction of cultural identity as Arabic in local and transnational spaces; and the transformation of hybrid genres such as Arabizi, which reinterpreted traditional linguistic conventions. It is with a qualitative, interpretive approach that this paper interweaves concepts of sociolinguistics, cultural studies, and digital communications with the aim of developing a conceptual building block for analyzing how Arabic can preserve its linguistic and cultural coherence in response to digital innovation. A structured qualitative literature review design is used for the current study, using specific inclusion criteria that include peer-reviewed works produced from 2015 to 2025, related to Arabic sociolinguistics, as well as digital communication, and having potential theoretical contributions, and uses thematic analysis for synthesis of results. The study suggests that the digital space functions simultaneously as a site of continuity, hybridity, and negotiation for Arabic.
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