Linguistic Hegemony in Digital Broadcasting: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Language Policy, Audience Fragmentation, and Cultural Identity Preservation in Multilingual Media Markets
Keywords:
Algorithmic Bias, Audience Fragmentation, Critical Discourse Analysis, Cultural Identity, Digital Broadcasting, Language Policy, Linguistic Hegemony, Minority Languages, Multilingual Media, Platform EconomicsAbstract
This study looks at the dynamics of linguistic hegemony in contemporary digital broadcasting environments, analyzing how dominant languages maintain structural advantages in multilingual media markets. This research employs critical discourse analysis of broadcasting policies, content distribution patterns, and audience engagement metrics across six multilingual democracies to illustrate how digital platforms simultaneously challenge and strengthen established language hierarchies. The findings reveal that, although digital technologies offer unique opportunities for the promotion of minority languages, algorithmic curation, advertising revenue models, and platform design inherently favor dominant languages, resulting in new forms of cultural marginalization. This study elucidates the interplay between linguistic policy and technological affordances in influencing the preservation of cultural identity in an increasingly interconnected world. The analysis is founded on 84 interviews, 2,400 hours of programming, and survey data from 3,200 individuals. Research indicates that algorithmic promotion is 340% more probable for English-language content compared to material in a minority language. Advertising rates are 250-400% elevated for predominant languages. These findings significantly impact democratic media engagement and cultural diversity within digital ecosystem. They challenge the notion of technological neutrality and show the necessity for legislation addressing both algorithmic bias and economic differences in digital media distribution.
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