Digital Scientific Communication in Social Networks: Language Functioning and The Internal Structure of Terminology in Networked Public Discourse

Abstract

Digital platforms have reconfigured how scientific meanings circulate, how expertise is performed, and how terms acquire legitimacy in public space. This article examines digital scientific communication in social networks by integrating (a) internet linguistics perspectives on platform-shaped language change, (b) discourse-analytical accounts of power, polarization, and alignment, and (c) terminology theory focused on the internal structure and semantic constituents of terms. Building on scholarship in sociolinguistics, online discourse studies, and terminology studies, the study conceptualizes social networks as hybrid arenas where scientific discourse competes with political, moral, and affective discourses, producing intensified struggles over naming, definition, and categorization (Crystal, 2021; McCulloch, 2020; Van Dijk, 2017). Methodologically, the paper proposes a qualitative, theory-driven framework for analyzing how (i) platform affordances and comment-based interaction shape scientific expression, (ii) alignment/opposition markers and “power of discourse” dynamics influence term uptake, and (iii) contested terminology—especially in technologically mediated discussions—becomes a site of metalinguistic critique. Results are presented as an integrated set of analytical findings: networked scientific talk displays recurring patterns of definitional negotiation, semantic compression, and hybridization with everyday registers; terminological “internal form” is frequently reconstructed through paraphrase, analogy, and evaluative labeling; and discursive polarization amplifies definitional conflict, which can also invite corrective “constructive critique” and community-level meaning repair (Antonyuk & Hoza, 2023; Aubanelle, 2023; Rehak, 2023). The discussion argues that digital scientific communication should be treated not merely as dissemination but as a continuous process of social meaning-making under conditions of visibility, contestation, and uneven expertise. Implications are offered for terminology description, science communication practice, and the study of online discourse as a sociolinguistic phenomenon.