User:Danidukedani/Media Linguistics/

Thus, in principle, media linguistics seeks to explain the particular case of the functioning of language—in mass communication with its complex structure and changing properties—amid the overall trends of language and speech culture. It studies language in relation to medium-specific aspects, such as the specific properties of media texts or platforms, and sometimes includes analysis of multimodality. Other purposes include analyzing patterns of language use within certain historical contexts, and establishing differences between "normal" language and media language. Media linguistics is closely related to contemporary media practices and intends to impact on them, in particular, by means of media education. Studying language use in the media can be used to help develop critical media literacy, for example in relation to stereotypes.

Media linguistics includes the study of traditional mass media texts (typically, print or broadcast news) as well as social media and other digital media, such as blog posts or SMS messages. Advertisements, amongst other multimodal media, are commonly analyzed in the context of media linguistics. The study of fictional film and television has recently emerged as an important area of media linguistics.

Importance
Media linguistics provides that media is used as a source of historical and current data or research. It is is critical in examining regional language and regional dialect models of media involving the portrayal of society and culture. Media linguistics is crucial in understanding how the media broadcasts language ideologies and is able to strengthen representation of a less common, minority language or maintain representation of a dominant language.

Sources of media language are used as learning material in second language courses given its ties to the language's culture and its surrounding context and its role in exposing students to native-speaker syntax and vocabulary.

In the early 21st century, linguists are studying how "computer-mediated communication (CMC)" differs from older forms of media communication. While the level of interactivity between readers and writers remains the same, CMC shows increasing evidence of media attempting to gain more and more of their reader's attention. CMC also shows how people might form exclusive "groups" online, and form a sense of relatedness with these groups or other online users.