Virtual Linguistic Landscapes of Power and Ideology: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Twitter Posts on Kuwaiti Politics

Abstract

This study examines Twitter's role as a platform for political discourse in Kuwait. The advent of Twitter as a dominant platform for political discourse deserves scholarly investigation, especially in linguistically diverse settings such as Kuwait. This research aims to fill a crucial gap in the existing literature on Virtual Linguistic Landscapes (VLL) by focusing on the interplay of language, power, and ideology within Kuwait's Twitter discourse on politics. Employing a mixed-method approach that integrates Critical Discourse Analysis with qualitative and quantitative data analysis, the study scrutinizes a sample of 116 posts concerning Kuwaiti politics. The results reveal that Arabic remains the predominant language, used primarily in discussions of local political issues and power structures. In contrast, English gains prominence in global and modernity-themed conversations. Additionally, bilingualism and code-switching emerge as significant practices, reflecting the complex ideological landscape of Kuwaiti politics. The study contributes to the academic discourse on VLLs by offering nuanced insights specific to Kuwait's sociopolitical and linguistic context. It also has broader policy implications for fostering an inclusive digital public sphere. Keywords: Sociolinguistics, Virtual linguistic landscape, Discourse analysis, Twitter, Kuwait, Ideology.