Academia Open
Vol. 10 No. 2 (2025): December

Revitalizing the Acehnese Language through the “Cinta Bahasa Aceh” Instagram Community

Mukramah Mukramah (Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra Aceh, Universitas Islam Kebangsaan Indonesia)
Sediken Tara Munthe (Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra Aceh, Universitas Islam Kebangsaan Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
24 Oct 2025

Abstract

General Background: The Acehnese language, as a crucial component of Indonesia’s linguistic and cultural diversity, faces a decline in daily use among teenagers due to modernization and the dominance of Indonesian and foreign languages. Specific Background: The emergence of social media platforms such as Instagram presents a new opportunity for language revitalization through interactive and youth-oriented digital content. Knowledge Gap: Despite the growing use of digital media in education, empirical studies examining its effectiveness in regional language revitalization remain limited. Aims: This study investigates the effectiveness of the “Cinta Bahasa Aceh” Instagram community in revitalizing the Acehnese language among adolescents. Results: Using a quasi-experimental design with 60 respondents, findings reveal significant improvement in vocabulary (32%), understanding of common expressions (28%), and conversational ability (35%) following a four-week digital intervention. Novelty: The study integrates Fishman’s Reversing Language Shift theory, Gilster’s digital literacy framework, and Rogers’ diffusion of innovation theory, highlighting Instagram as a participatory platform that transforms passive learners into active cultural agents. Implications: These results confirm that social media-based initiatives can serve as adaptive and replicable models for regional language preservation, offering both theoretical and practical contributions to the sustainability of linguistic heritage in the digital era. Highlights: Digital media effectively enhances youth engagement in language preservation. Instagram fosters active, participatory learning of regional languages. The study offers a replicable model for revitalizing endangered languages. Keywords: Language Revitalization, Digital Media, Instagram, Teenagers, Acehnese Language

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Journal Info

Abbrev

acopen

Publisher

Subject

Medicine & Pharmacology Public Health

Description

Academia Open is published by Universitas Muhammadiyah Sidoarjo published 2 (two) issues per year (June and December). This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. This ...