Language in The Digital Age

The Evaluation of Online Communication

Abstract

The most important contribution of this research is the conceptualization of a multi-dimensional evaluative framework
beyond prescriptions of 'correctness'. With this vocabulary and conceptual tools, scholars, educators, and professionals
can discern the communication challenges that arise in the emergent communicative terrain of the digital age. Digital
communication will also continue to be an area ripe for further investigation, given how fluid and constantly changing
it is. Several research directions have been specifically pressing when they are built upon the present study. On the
one hand, this calls for cross-linguistic and cross-cultural comparative work to establish the degree of universality vs.
cultural specificity of the asymmetries discussed in this paper. Second, longitudinal research is essential to monitor the
development of these norms over time, from a diachronic perspective of digital language change. Third, in light of the
changing digital media landscape, research needs to turn towards the new platforms, including video-centric (e.g.,
TikTok) and community-centric (e.g., Discord) spaces, that have their own linguistic and social dynamics. Third, a critical
future line of research here will involve understanding AI-enabled communication. Future research must explore how
the growing ubiquity of AI writing assistants and large language models shapes authentic user expression and the
standards against which it is judged.