Semantic Transformation of the Russian Language in Contemporary Digital Discourse: Metaphorical Extension, Lexical Innovation, and the Pragmatics of Online Communication

Semantic innovation in digitally mediated Russian is frequently described as the appearance of internet slang, yet lexical novelty alone does not explain how meanings become socially recognizable, contested, or durable. This conceptual article investigates metaphorical extension, evaluative reversal, morphological creativity, borrowing, and the circulation of recognizable expressions across online communities. Drawing on historical lexical semantics, cognitive linguistics, pragmatics, and computer-mediated discourse research, it distinguishes context-dependent interpretation from emerging conventional senses and separates lexical diffusion from broader social visibility. Special attention is devoted to ironic usage, quotation, interface metaphors, hybrid word formation, metalinguistic disputes, and the role of partially overlapping audiences. Constructed examples are employed solely as analytical illustrations, not as observations from a newly collected corpus. The discussion proposes criteria for identifying semantic transformation through historical comparison, recurrent participant uptake, genre-sensitive interpretation, and independent uses across settings. Implications are considered for lexicography, translation, language education, and the ethical analysis of public digital texts. Rather than attributing a uniform effect to technology, the article argues that changing meanings develop through interaction between established Russian linguistic resources, situated communicative actions, and the social organization of their circulation.