CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS article
Front. Commun.
Sec. Culture and Communication
Generation Alpha Speaks in Memes: A Conceptual Framework for Platformed Language
Provisionally accepted
- University of South-Eastern Norway (USN), Kongsberg, Norway
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This article develops a conceptual framework for analyzing the platform-mediated language practices of Generation Alpha through what is termed memetic linguistics. Drawing on sociolinguistics, meme theory, and platform studies, the paper conceptualizes linguistic expression as viral, iterative, and multimodal, shaped by algorithmic curation and platform affordances rather than by stable lexical innovation alone. The framework proposes five analytical dimensions—form, function, circulation, stance, and genre—and introduces a typology of memetic linguistic genres that captures recurrent patterns of youth expression across short-form video and gaming platforms. Focusing on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Roblox as key linguistic ecologies for early digital socialization, the article argues that Generation Alpha's language is best understood as platform-native: performative, compressed, and optimized for circulation. While explicitly conceptual in nature and not based on original empirical data, the framework is designed to support future empirical research on multimodal language, algorithmic mediation, and youth discourse in platform environments.
Keywords: digital youth, Generation Alpha, Meme theory, Memetic linguistics, multimodality, platformed language, Roblox, sociolinguistics
Received: 30 Aug 2025; Accepted: 28 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Madsen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Dag Øivind Madsen
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