Net Generation, Norm Generators and English in Nigeria’s Publishing Ecosystem

Abstract

Online communication has seen the emergence of those who may be called ‘norm generators’. Norm generators are producing changes in social practices and linguistic norms with implication on language use. The major culprit is English Language in Nigeria. Using data from online media platforms, this paper examines the emerging culture of netspeak within the Nigerian digital space and how it affects the various aspects of the publishing ecosystem. Findings from the corpus analysis of the data reveal that changes in the linguistic norms of English affect issues, such as writing, editing, typesetting and formatting of manuscripts. The paper concludes that if adequate care is not taken to harmonise and reinforce the conventional norms and practice, variations in the emerging English norms within the Nigerian digital space and publishing ecosystem will negatively affect proper English usage. Above all, it will adversely affect the quality of publishing generally in the ecosystem.