Generation Z and the Belarusian language

This article presents a fragment of sociolinguistic fieldwork of the current language situation in Belarus in a small segment, namely among young people aged 16 to 20 (the so-called Generation Z), high school students and first-year university/college students who are currently residing in Belarus. The author of the article, using an anonymous questionnaire in the Google Form, found out whether the Belarusian language is present in the daily life of young people and what role it plays for them, how often they encounter it and in which areas of socio-cultural life (in particular, in the family, among friends and acquaintances, in classes at an educational institution), whether the new generation passes on the old stereotypes about the language and how the Belarusian language is presented in social networks TikTok and Instagram the eyes of representatives of Generation Z. This study in this aspect is conducted for the first time in conditions of limited research opportunities (the author is an independent researcher in Belarus, for whom it is not easy to gain access to potential respondents in target focus groups).