Indonesian Literature Dept. at FIB Unhas Explores Gen Z Language Dynamics from a Digital Humanities Perspective

FIB Unhas — Terms like “bussin’”, “red flag”, “mager” (an Indonesian acronym for ‘lazy to move’), and code-mixing such as “first acound mo” have now become a common linguistic phenomenon in the digital space. These evolving language dynamics of teenagers, or Generation Z, were the main focus of a language and literary dialogue held by the Indonesian Literature Department, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Hasanuddin (FIB Unhas).

The event, titled “Indonesian Language and Literature in the Perspective of Digital Humanities,” took place at the Mattulada Hall, FIB Unhas, on Monday (3/11), as part of the Language Month (Bulan Bahasa) commemoration series.

The dialogue featured three key speakers: Professor of Indonesian Literature at FIB Unhas, Prof Munira Hasjim; Martin Suryajaya from the Jakarta Institute of Arts; and Toha Machsum, Head of the South Sulawesi Province Language Center (Balai Bahasa).

Prof Munira Hasjim highlighted how Digital Humanities—an interdisciplinary field combining computational technology with humanities studies—opens new avenues for analyzing this phenomenon on a large scale. According to her, digital platforms have become the primary space for Gen Z expression, giving rise to innovative forms of communication, including neologisms and multimodal communication (text, emojis, and images).

“The language used by teenagers on social media has become a rich object of study,” said Prof Munira.

She explained that Digital Humanities allows researchers to analyze linguistic big data to identify word patterns, slang frequency, and track the spread of new terms.

Despite being a marker of group identity and a strategy for communication efficiency, Prof Munira also highlighted its challenge to standard language structures. Therefore, the dialogue also emphasized the importance of strategies for preserving the Indonesian language in the digital era.

“Steps are needed, such as contextual, digital literacy-based language learning, as well as guidance to ensure teenagers remain responsible in their language use, adhering to ethics and context,” she concluded.

Credt to: FIB Unhas