ABSTRACT
The role of media, and especially social media, in guiding and influencing linguistic change today is the main theme of this chapter. The role of phonetics in linguistic change starts the chapter and is then mapped against change in cyberspace. The notion of communicative competence is expanded in order to incorporate the effects of media on language evolution and how this affects communication today. Because media are critical in shaping language, a section of the types of media is included. Finally, the chapter (and book) ends with a discussion of astrolinguistics, or communication with hypothetical aliens, and what this tells us about human language generally.
