| dc.description.abstract | Short Message Service (SMS) as a new form of Computer Mediated Communication
(CMC) seems to dissolve interaction and social hierarchies, thus resulting in the
emergence of social groups. To determine how SMS has resulted in the emergence
of social groups, this article explores the issues of group identities and language use
in Kenyan text messages. Group identities and language use are examined in terms
of age, social hierarchy and gendered identity. An integration of social structures
and linguistic structures is emphasised. The findings reveal that a “new” language
which presents the group identity of the users has evolved through SMS. Group
identities are determined through the social agents of SMS language | en_US |
