International Journal of English Research

Authors
Sanyogita Singh

Abstract
Language, being a dynamic system, keep changing with the passage of time, with the addition of new words, new meaning being associated with existing words, words falling out of usage, and so on. Shakespearean English is different from modern standard English. Usually, the process of changes and adaptation in a language is uniform and gradual. But, at times, certain literary artefacts or revolutionary technology affects the language somewhat more than usual gradual. Effects affected by George Orwell’s 1984 and social media technology may be seen in this light. The arrival of a plethora of social media services that enable real-time communication through multiple media elements has resulted in the evolution of the written language, especially within the English language – considering the fact that English is currently the most dominant language on the internet. Various new forms of the language within social media have resulted in a cross-cultural mesh, almost creating a new type of ‘Pidgin’ (a grammatically simplified means of communication allowing the ease of communication between two groups of people who do not speak the same language, commonly employed within situations such as trade). This article compares the freedom of speech and expression, surveillance practices and evolution of Newspeak in 1984’s Oceania to the corresponding phenomenon prevailing in today’s cyberworld.