SOCIAL MEDIA INNOVATIONS AS A TOOL FOR DEVELOPING PROFESSIONAL LEXICAL COMPETENCE

Abstract

The article explores lexical transformations in the English language driven by the rapid development of social media and digital communication. The research is based on the assumption that the expansion of online interaction has significantly influenced not only vocabulary but also communicative practices, stylistic norms, and the overall dynamics of language change. The relevance of the study is determined by the growing role of digital environments in everyday communication and the need to analyze the mechanisms of lexical innovation in modern English. The main objective of the article is to identify and systematize the key types of lexical units that emerge and function within digital discourse. The author focuses on such phenomena as neologisms, abbreviations, acronyms, memes, and hashtags, considering them as essential elements of online communication. The study demonstrates that the tendency toward brevity, expressiveness, and speed leads to the active use of shortened forms and simplified structures, which are characteristic features of social media language. Particular attention is paid to neologisms as the most dynamic layer of vocabulary