The Influence of Social Media on the Teaching and Learning of the SiSwati Mother Tongue

Abstract

The 21st-century learning paradigm enforces education outside the traditional classroom. It gave way to social media platforms as alternate learning spaces. The primary objective of this paper was to investigate the impact of social media on the teaching and learning of the siSwati mother tongue. It adopted a qualitative, observational research approach, and data were generated through an observation guide with six items that were designed by the researchers. Purposive sampling was used to identify physical and online platforms where the SiSwati language was the medium of communication. These platforms included WhatsApp, SMS message threads, street drama recordings, and community presentations, as well as TikTok and YouTube videos. The data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The generated data were compared to the curriculum content taught to learners in the SiSwati subject by utilising thematic analysis. The findings indicated that social media content has positive and negative effects on the SiSwati language. The conclusions drawn were that advancement of technology has led to new forms of social media platforms, which have increased participation and interaction in the SiSwati language. This trend enforced creative expression in siSwati among the youth, although it often resulted in compromised spelling. Social media platforms facilitated learning the SiSwati language and promoted its use in various contexts. However, this trend compromised the originality of the language and cultural values modelled. Therefore, it is essential for Emaswati to embrace AI language tools such as Grammarly. Additionally, language experts must provide guidance on the proper usage of the siSwati language