Representation of Language in Social Media: A Case Study of the Facebook Users in Desa Larangan

Language both used verbally and in writing will represent the identity of the users. That is why the use of language must be adapted to the context. This research is interested in the use of local and mixed languages on social media. By using the concept of representation from Stuart Hall, this study attempts to examine the relation between the use of language on social media and the user's self-representation. This research uses quantitative methods with cultural studies approach to examine how the media facilitates the community in representing their identity. This research departs from the phenomenon of the use of local languages and mixtures which are often found by Facebook users in the village of Larangan-Brebes, thus data is collected through netnography. In addition, the author also collects ethnographic data such as observation and direct interviews which aims to see how language is used in daily life by the participants. The result shows that the use of Facebook in the rural context represents modernity or progress in the Larangan community. On the other hand, the use of local and mixed languages supported by personal topics automatically represents the inability of Facebook users to distinguish between public space and private space. Eventually, this phenomenon illustrates the lack of understanding of their media literacy.