The Role of Social Media in Preserving Kagan Linguistic Culture: A Cross-cultural Study in Minda-nao, Philippines

Abstract

Much has been written about cultural preservation practices; however, a literature gap exists regarding the documentation of the lived narratives of minority youth as they navigate cultural preservation through social media. In a digitalized society, cultural identities are now expressed and communicated online, and therefore, digital preservation is undeniably perceived as a necessary tool for the continuity of cultural identities. Cultural preservation is at the heart of this inquiry, and in this context, social media becomes a potential vehicle for revitalizing and sustaining endangered languages and traditions, particularly among marginalized ethnolinguistic groups such as the Kagan. This study documents and analyzes three narratives of Kagan youth in Panabo City, Davao del Norte, Philippines, to illuminate how social media functions both as a site of possibility and a site of loss in the preservation of linguistic and cultural heritage. Using a case study framework grounded in interviews, content analysis, and discourse analysis, the study uncovered the everyday negotiations of identity, language, and belonging in online spaces. Findings revealed that while the students occasionally engage with Kagan-related online content, they exhibit limited awareness of their cultural practices and seldom use their native language in social media interactions. The diagnosis reveals a reciprocally connected dilemma where social media as a cultural preservation tool is underutilized, furthering the endangerment of the Kagan identity in the real and virtual world, vice versa. The implications for culturally responsive digital interventions and educational programs that promote active lingua-cultural engagement and the limitation that it may not reflect the diverse realities of other marginalized ethnolinguistic groups will be discussed. Furthermore, the study also argues for the possibility of blurring the ontological divide between the real and virtual as physical cultural identities vis-à-vis expression and communication, traversing both domains.