Content in Catalan booms on social media but AI poses new challenges

More than 1,200 creators now regularly publish content in Catalan on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, according to a new report on the digital health of the language released on Thursday by Accent Obert.

The analysis shows that last year Catalan posts on these networks rose to 160,000, a 31% increase on the previous year, generating 2.8 billion views – a 72% jump.

However, the report also identifies "fragile" areas where Catalan remains underrepresented, including the automotive sector, smart home appliances, and automatic dubbing for on-demand video services.

The study also warns of potential risks to Catalan in the era of artificial intelligence.

It highlights three main threats posed by generative AI: linguistic displacement due to "friction," meaning users may abandon Catalan if models in other languages offer more accurate responses; reliance on external models developed outside the Catalan-speaking sphere; and cultural and symbolic impacts, where models operate in Catalan but within foreign cultural frameworks.

According to Accent Obert, a key factor is "implicit demand," where websites and apps detect demand for Catalan through device settings, which is "significantly lower than actual social use."

In response, the organization has launched a 'Configura' campaign, encouraging individuals, businesses, and institutions to set Catalan as the language on their devices.

The report was presented on Thursday morning by Genís Roca, president of Accent Obert.

Podcast

Learning Catalan via social media is increasingly common, thanks to content creators like Júlia Riera (@DailyCatalan), Griffin Bassett (@wordsatwork), and Gerhard Kirsten.

Listen to the podcast below to learn more: 'A new language, a new life - Learning Catalan goes viral'.