Trolls and keyboard warriors deploy slurs, memes laced with sarcasm, and ad hominem attacks that debase discourse.
Published Oct 23, 2025 | 2:10 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 23, 2025 | 2:10 PM
Social media. (iStock)
Synopsis: Social media, which thrives on brevity and sensationalism, often fosters a culture of derogatory expressions, incomplete narratives, and what many perceive as the degeneration of language. Social media’s anonymity and algorithmic amplification reward outrage over reason.
In the epic Mahabharata, a pivotal moment unfolds during the Kurukshetra war when Yudhishthira, the paragon of truth, utters the words “Ashvatthama hatah” – Ashvatthama is slain – but appends in a whisper, “naro va kunjarah,” meaning whether man or elephant. The full statement reveals that it was an elephant named Ashvatthama that met its end, not Drona’s son.
Yet, the partial revelation, amplified by the din of battle, shatters Drona, leading to his demise. This ancient tale of manipulated truth serves as a stark metaphor for the linguistic landscape of modern social media.
Platforms like Twitter (now X), Facebook, and Instagram thrive on brevity and sensationalism, often disseminating “Ashvatthama hatah” without the clarifying “naro va kunjarah.” In doing so, they foster a culture of derogatory expressions, incomplete narratives, and what many perceive as the degeneration of language.
However, is this truly degradation, or merely evolution in a digital age? This article explores the nuances of how social media is reshaping expression, potentially at the cost of depth and civility.
At its core, social media’s design incentivises conciseness. Character limits on platforms like X force users to distil thoughts into bite-sized morsels, often sacrificing nuance for impact. This has given rise to a lexicon of abbreviations — LOL, BRB, and FYI — and emojis that convey entire sentiments. While efficient, this shorthand can erode the richness of language.
Consider how a complex emotion like empathy is reduced to a heart emoji or a thumbs-up, stripping away the verbal artistry that once defined human communication. Linguists argue that such simplifications mirror historical shifts, like the transition from Latin to vernacular tongues, but the pace here is unprecedented.
In the pre-digital era, letters and essays allowed for elaborate prose; today, a viral tweet can ignite global discourse with fewer words than a haiku. Yet, this brevity often invites misinterpretation, much like the Mahabharata’s half-truth, where context is the casualty.
Compounding this is the proliferation of derogatory expressions. Social media’s anonymity and algorithmic amplification reward outrage over reason. Trolls and keyboard warriors deploy slurs, memes laced with sarcasm, and ad hominem attacks that debase discourse.
Terms like “snowflake,” “boomer,” or more virulent epithets based on race, gender, or politics have become commonplace, normalising what was once fringe vitriol.
A 2023 study by the Pew Research Centre found that 41 percent of American adults have experienced online harassment, with derogatory language at its forefront. This isn’t mere venting; it’s a systemic issue where algorithms prioritise engagement, pushing inflammatory content to the top.
The result? A feedback loop where users, seeking likes and shares, escalate rhetoric, forsaking politeness for provocation.
In India, for instance, platforms have been criticised for amplifying communal slurs during elections, turning public squares into echo chambers of hate. The “Ashvatthama hatah” parallel is evident: a derogatory snippet goes viral, devoid of context, inciting mobs without the full story’s tempering effect.
Moreover, social media’s reliance on incomplete revelations exacerbates misinformation. Fake news spreads like wildfire because headlines — or their digital equivalents — are crafted for clicks, not clarity.
A sensational post might declare a celebrity’s “downfall” based on a decontextualised clip, omitting exonerating details. This mirrors the epic’s deception, where partial truth weaponises language.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, platforms were flooded with half-baked claims about vaccines, leading to real-world harm. The Oxford English Dictionary even added “infodemic” to capture this deluge of distorted information.
Language degeneration here manifests as a loss of precision: Facts are twisted into narratives, adjectives like “fake” or “hoax” are weaponised, and hyperbole reigns supreme. Critics, such as linguist Noam Chomsky, warn that this erodes critical thinking, as users consume and regurgitate soundbites rather than engaging with substantive arguments.
Yet, to label this solely as degeneration overlooks social media’s democratizing potential. It has empowered marginalised voices, fostering new dialects like African American Vernacular English (AAVE) in global memes or Hindi-English hybrids in Indian digital spaces.
Movements like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter harnessed concise, powerful language to drive social change, proving that brevity can be a force for good. Emojis and GIFs add layers of non-verbal cues, enriching expression in ways text alone cannot.
Furthermore, the platform’s global reach exposes users to diverse linguistic influences, potentially revitalising rather than degrading language. English, as the lingua franca of the internet, absorbs slang from around the world — “sus” from gaming culture or “lit” from hip-hop — evolving into a more inclusive form.
However, the balance tips toward concern when we consider long-term societal impacts. Younger generations, immersed in this ecosystem, may internalise degraded norms.
A report by Common Sense Media indicates that teens spend over seven hours daily on social media, where casual derogation shapes their vocabulary. This could foster a culture intolerant of nuance, where debates devolve into insults rather than dialogues.
Educators note declining essay-writing skills, as students mimic tweet-like brevity in academic work. To counter this, platforms must enhance moderation, promoting context through features like Twitter’s “Community Notes.”
Users, too, bear responsibility: appending the “naro va kunjarah” – the full truth – in replies or threads can mitigate harm.
In conclusion, social media is indeed contributing to a perceived degeneration of language through its emphasis on derogatory expressions and incomplete revelations. Like the Mahabharata’s tragic ploy, it amplifies half-truths that divide rather than unite.
Yet, this is not inevitable doom but a call for mindful evolution. By valuing depth over virality and civility over sensationalism, we can harness these platforms to enrich, rather than erode, our shared linguistic heritage.
As guardians of expression, we must ensure that the digital age’s brevity does not come at the expense of truth’s wholeness.
(Views are personal. Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
