<![CDATA[Digital communication has reshaped language practices in multilingual communities by expanding access to wider audiences while intensifying the visibility of dominant languages. In Indonesia, this transformation raises important questions about the sustainability of local languages and their role in cultural identity. This study examines how local languages are used in online communication and compares the threats and opportunities experienced by two culturally significant communities in Sulawesi: the Bugis community in Bone Regency, South Sulawesi, and the Wolio/Butonese community in Buton Regency, Southeast Sulawesi. A comparative qualitative design was employed through semi-structured interviews, observation of social media interactions, content analysis of online cultural materials, and field notes involving 30 participants from both regions. The findings show that Indonesian dominates public-facing communication because it offers wider reach, institutional familiarity, and social acceptability, while English appears mainly as a prestige marker associated with education, modernity, and global orientation. Local languages remain stronger in family chats, community groups, and culturally oriented content, where they function as markers of ancestry, politeness, kinship, and belonging. The comparison reveals that Bone shows relatively stronger local language visibility in online cultural content, whereas Buton demonstrates stronger concern about declining intergenerational transmission and limited Wolio content. The study concludes that digital media are ambivalent: they can accelerate language shift, yet they also provide strategic spaces for cultural revitalization through storytelling, documentation, youth content creation, and community-based language promotion.]]>
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