Language Dilemma

Description
This social pattern occurs when users use different languages in their shared content which might affect the receivers by confusing them or excluding them from the target group. Examples

When an exchange student visits a country and befriends some of its inhabitants by speaking English (and/or that country’s native language). The student then returns to the home country and continues the everyday life like before, sharing content with friends at home, in their native language. The exchange friends will then receive content that is in another language which they are most unlikely to understand (if not English).

A solution to this would be a system that encourages writing in a major language, for instance, English by rewarding the users that do and punish users that don’t. This could be done with the help of a point system or similar.

Use
This is a pattern that might weaken people’s connections but can, like the pattern Targeted Audience, act as a feeling of affinity.

Relations
This pattern is both similar to Targeted Audience and Perceived Audience but is not limited to being either intentional or not.

Contributors
Created by Patric Westberg from the inspiration of Malin Mattsson and Magnus Spånggård.