PENGARUH INTENSITAS PENGGUNAAN BAHASA GAUL DI MEDIA SOSIAL TERHADAP KEMAMPUAN MENULIS AKADEMIK MAHASISWA PERGURUAN TINGGI DI INDONESIA SERTA DAMPAKNYA TERHADAP PENGUATAN LITERASI AKADEMIK DAN KUALITAS PUBLIKASI ILMIAH MAHASISWA

Abstract

The rapid growth of social media has transformed university students' communication practices, leading to the widespread use of slang language in everyday digital interactions. This phenomenon has raised concerns regarding its potential influence on academic writing, which requires the use of formal, coherent, and standardized language. This study aims to examine the influence of the intensity of slang language use on social media on the academic writing ability of Indonesian university students and its subsequent impact on academic literacy and the quality of students' scientific publications. The study employed a quantitative explanatory research design. Data were collected through structured questionnaires, assessments of students' academic writing, and evaluations of scientific manuscripts using validated assessment rubrics. Respondents were selected using a multistage stratified random sampling technique to ensure representation from various higher education institutions across Indonesia. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, validity and reliability testing, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to examine both direct and indirect relationships among the proposed variables. The findings indicate that the intensity of slang language use on social media significantly influences students' academic writing ability. Furthermore, academic writing competence contributes positively to the development of academic literacy, which subsequently enhances the quality of students' scientific publications. The findings suggest that slang language represents a natural form of linguistic variation within digital communication; however, students require stronger linguistic awareness to distinguish between informal digital discourse and formal academic writing. This study contributes to the development of digital sociolinguistics and applied linguistics by providing empirical evidence regarding the relationship between digital language behavior and academic performance. The findings also offer practical recommendations for higher education institutions to strengthen academic literacy programs and scientific writing instruction in response to the challenges of the digital era.