The linguistic landscape field includes the study of any language that is exhibited in the public space.

It
is concerned with the nature of the relationship that exists between people, place and language. It does
not only focus on written languages but also visual and semiotic elements in order to provide an
understanding and different perspectives on language use. The study of linguistic landscape is not only
concerned with language use in physical or geographical environments but also extends to virtual
environments since ‘geotagging’ which is associated with physical spaces provide content for
linguistic data. In virtual spaces like social media platforms, people use diverse languages in different
ways to convey different meanings. Virtual spaces, therefore, broaden insights into the linguistic
practices of people.

Although different languages are being used continuously in the internet world, physical spaces are
more often characterized by many domestic languages, while English is often represented in virtual
environments due to its international nature. Even when some speakers belong to a linguistic
background other than English, they prefer to post contents in English, which indicates that English is
gradually becoming a lingua franca of social media. Virtual spaces can be linguistically diverse since it
allows the interactions of individuals from all locations. These environments are also linguistically rich
in terms of the number of unique languages since individuals with distinct languages can use these
platforms without requiring them to be physically present. Physical linguistic landscapes are also not
sensitive to change because of its materialness, while virtual linguistic landscapes change faster
because of the immaterialness of the digital content.

In addition to the fact that language use in physical environments and online platforms help to reveal
the role of languages in societies, it also reflects the cultural practices of individuals. Languages that
have an official status within a country are more often prominent in physical spaces. It is interesting
that although social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook appear to be used by many people
across the globe; people from countries like Korea and Japan are abandoning these online platforms to
use social media platforms they have created. Different online platforms also affect the language
choices of users since some platforms like Twitter are associated with discussions and involve
language choices which are different from those used among users on platforms like Instagram and
Facebook which are associated with the personal experiences of people.

Social media platforms have become a significant aspect of the life of many people with the help of
mobile devices and computers. People share their experiences through language while also maintaining
personal relationships. These online platforms provide productive avenues for sociolinguistic study
into multilingualism on the internet, the relationship between language and identity as well as
measuring linguistic diversity of virtual spaces.