Secular Language in Generation Z Discourses in Digital Environments: The Case of Twitter/X
摘要
The concept of generation refers to individuals born within similar time periods who have witnessed the same historical events. In recent years, generational studies have become increasingly employed in the social sciences as a crucial analytical framework for examining trends toward secularization and religiosity. This study focuses on the secular language used in posts related to Generation Z on digital platforms, specifically Twitter/X, and seeks to answer the research question: “How does secular language emerge in posts related to Generation Z on the X platform?” In this study, which aims to reveal the secular context of discourses surrounding Generation Z on Twitter/X, a qualitative method and document analysis technique were employed. A total of 134 tweets shared by Turkish users on the X platform concerning Generation Z were selected through purposive sampling and analyzed using MAXQDA 24. The findings indicate that the discourse of secularization plays a central role in posts about Generation Z and necessitates new interpretations of the generation’s relationship to a broader network of notions, including tradition, values, authority, social norms, belief, and spirituality. The study also argues that generation-based analyses provide a productive methodological framework for research on secularization, particularly in the context of Türkiye.