ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL MEDIA CONVERSATIONS OF 400 LEVEL STUDENTS OF ENGLISH DEPARTMENT AT PRINCE ABUBAKAR AUDU UNIVERSITY, ANYIGBA

This research is carried out on “Analysis of Social Media Conversations of 400 Level Students of English Department at Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba”. The rapid evolution of communication in the digital age has reshaped how language is used, particularly among young adults and university students. Social media platforms such as WhatsApp have introduced new linguistic and multimodal features, abbreviations, emojis, memes, and voice notes that often diverge from conventional academic writing norms. This shift raises concerns about how such informal practices influence students’ ability to maintain clarity, grammatical accuracy, and formality in academic contexts. In the Department of English and Literary Studies, Prince Abubakar Audu University, this concern is especially relevant as students are expected to demonstrate proficiency in standard written English. The problem addressed in this study is the increasing infiltration of social media features into students’ academic writing, which may affect their linguistic competence and overall writing proficiency. The study therefore aims to examine the use of social media features among undergraduate students of the department. Specifically, its objectives are: (1) to investigate the prevalence and extent of social media slang usage among the students, (2) to assess the impact of such usage on grammatical accuracy and overall academic writing proficiency, and (3) to identify the most commonly used social media features on the WhatsApp group of the 400-level students for the 2024/2025 academic session. Adopting a qualitative research design, the study analyzed data drawn from WhatsApp conversations using the theoretical framework of Multimodal Discourse Analysis. The findings reveal that student communication on WhatsApp is richly multimodal, relying not only on words but also on emojis, memes, voice notes, reactions, and profile customizations to build meaning, express emotions, and sustain interaction. The study concludes that these multimodal resources play a central role in shaping digital communication, offering both creative opportunities and challenges for academic writing competence. The study concludes that social media features have become integral to students’ everyday communication, shaping how meaning is constructed and shared. While these features enhance creativity, identity, and group bonding, they also risk weakening formal writing standards. The findings highlight the need for a balance between digital expression and academic competence. Educators must therefore guide students in code-switching effectively between informal and formal registers