The Effects of Social Networks on Youth’s Speech

It is widely acknowledged that social networks have become important parts of our daily life. Social networks unite people from different backgrounds to share their life concerns, experiences, and aspirations. Yet, in the recent years, social networks have gone beyond the expected level of impact, and have started affecting our daily language. Since the rise in popularity of social networks, new words have been added to our urban dictionary; words like Bouzebal, 3Niba, and Moustasha.

In late 2010, the character of Bouzebal was created to reproach a specific social phenomenon that is deeply related to some individuals’ life style.  It is formerly acknowledged that this term has been used before. However, is has never gained so much sensibility and effectiveness as it has since being promoted by media outlets. Interviews have been organized in national channels in which they host the creator of the idea or the character, aiming to underline the significance of the character and the reasons of its emergence. Basically, Bouzebal, as it is defined in our society, is a person whose concerns are only materialistic pleasures, always economizing his share while consuming the others. Therefore, these Facebook pages have been launched to attract attention to this shameful behavior, and at the same time, to convince people to drop these habits.

Also new terms, 3Niba & Moustasha are now more common to youngsters than the names of their teachers. These terms are two slightly different faces of one coin. The words made a huge Facebook controversy in the last two years. Their appearance was a direct reaction to the moral dissolution of the Moroccan society. Its adherents possess this idea of confronting the immoral acts of some individuals by the usage of these offensive words. Yet, we can sense an inclination of envy or alike, towards people who enjoy wealth, prettiness…etc.

The question to be asked is, does this matter go beyond language? Does it reveal the gap and the attitude between social classes (one attacking the others using only language). Certainly, these questions need more time to be answered, but the inevitable fact is that social networks have become the perfect platform to inflate microscopic topics, and smoothly inject them in our youth.