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Abstract

This paper examines the process of post-migration adaptation of repatriates in Kazakhstan through the analysis of their linguistic discourses on social media platforms. The study aims to compare the linguistic and social adaptation of repatriates through content analysis of Facebook and Instagram. The research methodology combines discourse analysis, comparative analysis, content analysis, and basic quantitative processing (including markers of adaptation and identity, language choice, interpretation, and frequency analysis).

The empirical data consist of publicly available social media materials, including posts, comments, hashtags, and thematic community content. The analysis focuses on communicative strategies, forms of self-representation, social support discourse, and indicators of integration. Integration is examined at three levels: linguistic (vocabulary of the new social environment and official terminology), social (interaction with local communities, requests for advice, and choice of workplace or educational institutions), and symbolic (visual and verbal representation of Kazakh cultural codes).

The results reveal distinct platform differences. On Facebook, discussions of institutional, legal, and social issues are more frequent, indicating the dominance of informational and structural integration. In contrast, Instagram is characterized by visual narratives, symbolic representations of national identity, cultural codes, and positive self-representation. These findings demonstrate that integration is not only a social process but also a digital-communicative one.

The study contributes to the scholarly literature on digital discourse, migration studies, and linguistic identity by demonstrating that integration cannot be limited to socio-economic indicators alone. Social media discourse reflects the complex linguistic and cultural dimensions of migrant adaptation and identity formation in the digital environment.

The paper also highlights new methodological opportunities for analyzing the adaptation processes of repatriates in the context of digital society and reveals the influence of platform-specific media environments on models of integration.