THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS ON ENGLISH AND UZBEK SPEECH ACT VARIABILITY

Abstract:

This article explores how different social media platforms influence the way Speech Acts (SAs) are expressed in English and Uzbek digital communication. While cultural values shape general communication norms, platform-specific features such as brevity, multimodality, and audience structure also significantly affect the form and level of directness in online interactions. The study shows that platforms like Twitter/X tend to reinforce the direct and explicit communication style common in English-speaking contexts, whereas Telegram, widely used in Uzbekistan, produces more variable politeness patterns depending on whether interaction occurs in public channels or semi-private group chats. The findings highlight the need to consider both cultural background and platform affordances when analysing SA realization in digital discourse.