Social Media Use and Socio-Cultural Change among the Tamang Community of Nuwakot, Nepal

This study examines how social media is used and how it is perceived to influence socio-cultural life among the Tamang community of Samundradevi, Nuwakot, Nepal. Based on a descriptive cross-sectional survey of 84 respondents, the article analyses patterns of platform use, access devices, purposes of use, cultural engagement, language practice, intergenerational relations, perceived content control, and overall views of digital media. The findings show that social media has become a regular part of everyday communication in the community. Facebook, Messenger, TikTok, and YouTube are the most visible platforms, while mobile phones are the dominant means of access. Respondents mainly use social media for news and information, entertainment, and communication, although cultural posting around festivals, Sonam Lhosar, mela, jatras, and community events is also evident. The results present a balanced picture. Social media supports communication, awareness, community visibility, and some forms of cultural preservation; however, respondents also associate it with reduced face-to-face interaction, wider generational distance, unwanted content exposure, and cultural transformation toward more modern forms. The study argues that social media should not be understood only as a threat to tradition or as an automatic tool of preservation. Rather, it is a mediated cultural space where Tamang identity is being reworked, displayed, and transmitted. The article concludes that community-led, language-sensitive, and intergenerational digital practices are necessary if social media is to strengthen cultural continuity rather than replace deeper forms of cultural learning.

Tamang community, social media, socio-cultural change, digital culture, cultural preservation, intergenerational relations

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