Language Diversity in Conversations and Comment Sections on TikTok Social Media Platform

Abstract

Various platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, blogs, and online discussion forums are used by users from various backgrounds to communicate, share information, and express personal opinions. The popularity of social media has not only made it a means of social interaction, but also a linguistic space that shows the diversity of language forms and usage. Social media, especially TikTok, has become an important linguistic space that displays linguistic diversity according to the communication goals of users, such as entertainment, education, and social campaigns. This study aims to describe the variety of language on TikTok. The data and data sources in this study include primary and secondary data. Data analysis follows the Miles and Huberman model. Data was collected through non-participant observation and documentation with screenshots. The results show that the @aidanmrz account is dominated by a casual variety, characterized by the use of everyday vocabulary, abbreviations, and non-standard sentence structures. An intimate variety was also found through the use of community jargon and personal greetings. Meanwhile, the @musfiahsaidah account, which focuses on educational content, uses more consultative language with semi-formal characteristics and instructional purposes, although casual language is also found in the comments section. These findings show that TikTok is a dynamic linguistic space that facilitates the use of language ranging from casual to consultative, and even intimate, according to the context, communication purpose, and relationship between speakers.