Multimodal articulations of identity in social media:

Empirical evidence from Facebookfrom Facebook

Dr Mariza GeorgalouLancaster University

www.marizageorgalou.com

1st International Conference on Approaches to Digital Discourse Analysis (ADDA)

University of Valencia, Spain • November 18-20, 2015

Agenda � Aim of study

� Set up of study

� Multimodality

� Multimodality on FB: images +music

– validating experience– making ‘safe’ statements– complementing messages

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� Concluding remarks

– making ‘safe’ statements– complementing messages – suggesting analogies– showing alignment– reconstructing memories– evaluating situations– relaying covert messages

Aim of the study

� Discursive construction of identity

within Facebook – Greek users

− How do users construct themselves?

− How do Facebook friends co-construct

them?

What kind of textual practices do users − What kind of textual practices do users

adopt in crafting meaningful identities?

−How does multimodality contribute

to these identity constructions?

3(Georgalou 2014)

Hypothesis � Meaning via a multimodal ensemble of modes

� crucial for self-presentation on Facebook

� Communication integrated into visually

organised environments

� Verbal exchanges � more fragmented + reliant on multimodal context

Wide range of modes� Wide range of modes

� New inter-semiotic relationships

� Unsettling + re-making of genres

� Reshaping of practices, interaction, identities

(boyd & Heer 2006; Androutsopoulos 2011; Barton &

Lee 2013; Jewitt 2013)4

Tools� Constructionist approach to identity

�

� Mix of discourse analytical methods

– textual analysis

Discourse = means of identity construction

– textual analysis

– computer-mediated discourse analysis

– multimodal discourse analysis

� Discourse-centred online ethnography:

– screen dimension (observation)

– participant dimension (engagement)

(Androutsopoulos 2008)5

Participants & data

Participants* Demographics

Carlaborn 1975; translator of Latin

American literature; Athens

Alkisborn 1981; real estate agent;

Athens

Helen

born 1979; lecturer in Linguistics

+ EAP tutor; Athens & UK for 2

� FB profile information

� Status updates

� CommentsHelen + EAP tutor; Athens & UK for 2

months / year

Romanos born 1989; IT support; Athens

Gabriel

born 1990; European Studies &

International Economics student;

Athens; USA6

� Comments

� Video & article links

� Photos

� Interview excerpts

� Field notes

� Informants’ comments on

analysis

May 2010 – April 2013*All names are pseudonyms.

Identity in the study

identity

stance

placeprivacy

identity

time

profession

education

Categories

derived from data

Multimodality � Co-existence of resources from more than

one semiotic mode in digital content itself

(written language, audio, images, videos)

(Androutsopoulos 2013)

①①①① images users shot themselves

②②②② images they found in Internet

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②②②② images they found in Internet

③③③③music videos

� What users do, communicate, achieve by

sharing certain images + songs.

� What the implications are for their

identity construction.

Validating experience

User-shot images

� Performative exercise of id

Being at particular places,

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� Being at particular places,

experiencing particular

moments (Mendelson &

Papacharissi 2010)

� Placement action (Jaworski & Thurlow 2009)

without necessarily posing.

Making ‘safe’ statements

I want to give my own version of

User-shot images

10

Translation: solidarity of workers –

banks’ wealth belongs to us –

nationalisation without compensation

I want to give my own version of

an event to report on an event in

my own way without making an

explicit political comment

generally I’m careful with that

Helen

Complementing messages

� Intermodal complementarity

Me very happy after so many wishes!

User-shot images

Gabriel

� Metafunctions + affordances

of each modality commit to

creation of meaning(Painter & Martin 2011)

� Complement visually force

of verbal message. 11

Suggesting analogies

Internet images

i think that all of us are somehow like this….

i can’t i’m booooooored!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Alkis’s profile pic

Alkis’s profile pic

Collective graduate student identity

Showing alignment

Internet images

Translation: It’s great fortune

to be born Greek and it’s great

fortune to die [being] Greek!...

The in-between, however, is

great misfortune!13

Comic strip shared by Romanos

Reconstructing memories14

Music

What a beautiful track and what a beautiful series!! ☺

Alkis

Reconstructing memories II

FBU1: What is Herbert Viola doing?

Alkis: Hahahahhahaa!! I DON’T believe

it!!! P.S. I hope he has his hair

cut! lol

Music

FBU1*

Alkis

cut! lol

FBU2: ahhhhhhhhhhh our youth!

FBU3: Indeed!! Well done Alkis!!

FBU4: yes you’re doing such things

and we realise how much we

have…matured!!!15

FBU2

FBU3

FBU4

*FBU = Facebook User

Evaluating a situation

♪♫ Μου λεν να πάω κρυφά κάπου να κλάψω

και να θυμάμαι πως αυτό το σκηνικό

είμαι μικρός, πολύ μικρός για να τ' αλλάξω.

Μα εγώ μ’ ένα άγριο περήφανο χορό

σαν αετός πάνω απ' τις λύπες θα πετάξω.

σιγά μην κλάψω, σιγά μη φοβηθώ.

Helen

Music

σιγά μην κλάψω, σιγά μη φοβηθώ.

They tell me to go somewhere to cry secretly.

And I should remember that this scenery

I am small, too small to change.

But I, with a wild proud dance,

Will fly like an eagle over the sorrows.

I won’t cry, I won’t fear. ♪♫ 16

Helen

Relaying covert messages

Music

[A lyric] may be a “secret” message

Carla

Carla

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[A lyric] may be a “secret” message

for a friend (however this is only my

intent and the recipient may not get

the message sometimes... ;-)

Carla

Social steganography (boyd & Marwick 2011)

Conclusion � Research to date:

– not dealt with the topic in depth (cf. Page 2012; Herring 2013)

– mere tokens of self-presentation

� Role + functionality of multimodality +

implications for identity.

� Semiotics of images (self-shot + from Internet) � Semiotics of images (self-shot + from Internet)

+ music posts (comments + lyrics)

①①①① Forceful, convincing, creative, indirect articulation of identity.

②②②② Spectacle (visual, aural) � unforeseen interactions + collaborative identity

constructions.18

© Konstantinos Kanellopoulos

Thank you!¡Gracias!¡Gracias!Gràcies!

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References

Androutsopoulos, J. (2008). Potentials and limitations of discourse-centered online ethnography.

Language@Internet 5, 8.

Androutsopoulos, J. (2011). From variation to heteroglossia in the study of computer-mediated discourse.

In C. Thurlow and K. Mroczek (eds.) Digital discourse: Language in the new media. New York: Oxford

University Press. 277–298.

Androutsopoulos, J. (2013). Online data collection. In C. Mallinson, B. Childs and G. V. Herk (eds.) Data

collection in sociolinguistics: Methods and applications. London: Routledge. 236–249.

Barton, D. and Lee, C. (2013). Language online: Investigating digital texts and practices. London: Routledge.

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Barton, D. and Lee, C. (2013). Language online: Investigating digital texts and practices. London: Routledge.

boyd, d. and Heer, J. (2006). Profiles as conversation: Networked identity performance on Friendster.

Proceedings of the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS-39), Persistent

Conversation Track. Kauai, HI: IEEE Computer Society. Retrieved from:

<http://www.danah.org/papers/HICSS2006.pdf> (accessed 12 June 2015).

boyd, d. and Marwick, A. (2011). Social privacy in networked publics: Teens’ attitudes, practices, and

strategies. Paper presented at the Oxford Inter-net Institute Decade in Internet Time Symposium, 22

September 2011. Retrieved from: <http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1925128>

(accessed 6 May 2015).

References II

Georgalou, M. (2014). Constructions of identity on Facebook: A discourse-centred online ethnographic

study of Greek users. Doctoral dissertation. Lancaster University, UK.

Herring, S. C. (2013). Discourse in Web 2.0: Familiar, reconfigured, and emergent. In D. Tannen and A. M.

Trester (eds.) Discourse 2.0: Language and new media. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.

1–25.

Jaworski, A. and Thurlow, C. (2009). Gesture and movement in tourist spaces. In The Routledge Handbook

of Multimodal Analysis, C. Jewitt, Ed. London / New York: Routledge. 253-262.

Jewitt, C. (2013). Multimodal methods for researching digital technologies. In S. Price, C. Jewitt and B.

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Jewitt, C. (2013). Multimodal methods for researching digital technologies. In S. Price, C. Jewitt and B.

Brown (eds.) The Sage handbook of digital technology research. Los Angeles: Sage. 250–265.

Mendelson, A. and Papacharissi, Z. (2010). Look at us: Collective narcissism in college student Facebook

photo galleries. In Z. Papacharissi (ed.) A networked self: Identity, community and culture on social

network sites. New York: Routledge. 251–273.

Page, R. (2012). Stories and social media: Identities and interaction. London: Routledge.

Painter, C. and Martin, J. (2011). Intermodal complementarity: Modelling affordances across image and

verbiage in children’s picture books. In H. G. Wen (ed.) Studies in functional linguistics and discourse

analysis. Beijing: Higher Education Press. 132–158.

Image sources

Slide 2: Agenda (http://wersm.com/)

Slide 3: Facebook & Greece, © extend graphics (http://visual.ly/facebook-use-greece)

Slide 4: You are here (http://pixel.brit.co/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/5-youarehere.jpg)Slide 4: You are here (http://pixel.brit.co/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/5-youarehere.jpg)

Slide 5: Tools © bali_ayu (https://instagram.com/p/6GXXS8nXLX/)

Slide 8: Vintage camera © MonsterGallery

(https://img0.etsystatic.com/000/0/5148979/il_570xN.52869580.jpg)

Retro tapes (http://www.printawallpaper.com/detail/music/retro-tapes)

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