Book review: Andreea S. Calude,The Linguistics of Social Media: An Introduction

Social media, as a communication platform (Ellison and Boyd, 2013: 161), engenders discourse that deviates in both forms and content from that of traditional genres (Leppänen et al., 2017: 8). While research on language use in social media is becoming common, many existing books focus on specific topics such as self-presentation and identity construction. However, in The Linguistics of Social Media, the author examines language use on social media with wide breadth and accessibility. This book serves as an introduction for novice researchers, offering insights into fundamental and comprehensive linguistic concepts and their applications in the realm of social media.

Chapter 1 lays the groundwork for the entire book by establishing the intersection of linguistics and social media. It emphasizes that linguistic concepts and frameworks provide essential tools for studying social media discourse and underscores social media’s significance as a key arena for language use alongside traditional genres and registers. Additionally, the author introduces fundamental linguistic principles, encompassing descriptive approaches to language study and various sub-fields, such as phonology, morphology, semantics, and pragmatics, among others. Following that, the chapter introduces the social media phenomenon and provides a concise overview of the history of internet communication.

In Chapter 2, the focus shifts to linguistic concepts of genre, register, and style as tools for classifying texts on social media platforms. Genre pertains to necessary features, while register encompasses typical features, and style concerns distinctive linguistic features chosen for aesthetic purposes within a text. Subsequently, three case studies analyzing texts from instant messages, Reddit posts, and Wikipedia articles are presented to illustrate the classification of social media texts. Instant messages typically feature informal, conversational language akin to spoken varieties, fostering social bonds, such as abbreviations “ttyl” (“talk to you later”). In contrast, Reddit posts tend to employ more formal and persuasive language, aligning them closely with written varieties (e.g. “the average home owner does. . .”). Wikipedia articles, on the other hand, exhibit highly informational features, closely resembling academic written language (e.g. “Wikipedia began with its first edit on 15 January 2001, two days after the domain was registered [2]”).

Chapter 3 explores the phenomenon of style-shifting and code-switching to accommodate specific audiences on social media. For example, users on Facebook alter narrative structures, transitioning from elaborate narratives to “small stories” infused with heightened emotion and affective content to captivate their audience. Moreover, users employ code-switching techniques by utilizing their audience’s first language or a lingua franca to enhance engagement. Furthermore, merchants on TikTok similarly appeal to their target audience through code-switching tactics.

Chapter 4 concentrates on employing Speech Act Theory and Politeness Principle to investigate language usage on social media platforms. Three case studies are presented to demonstrate the practical applications of speech acts and facework in accomplishing various tasks. These include analyzing self-praise strategies utilized by professionals in their LinkedIn profiles, examining the branding strategies of banks in Twitter (X) and Weibo posts, and exploring the dynamics of employee interactions on internal messaging platforms. For example, a LinkedIn user highlights her achievement by stating “I have been recognized nationally as one of PR News 15-to-Watch, an award honoring. . .,” thus presenting herself in a positive light.

In Chapter 5, gender and sexual identities of social media users are examined in terms of how they are constructed, performed, and indexed within specific communities of practice through language. Through three case studies, this chapter illustrates how Facebook users cultivate a positive self-image, how individuals shape their identities through body image manipulation on Instagram, and how non-normative sexual identities are asserted on Twitter and TikTok. These case studies shed light on the dynamic interplay between language, digital platforms, and personal identity formation, offering valuable insights into the nuanced ways individuals navigate and express themselves online.

Chapter 6 considers metaphor use on social media platforms. Conceptual metaphor theory (Lakoff and Johnson, 1980) posits that a concrete source domain is mapped onto a more abstract target domain. For instance, three case studies explores the application of metaphor in diverse contexts: journey metaphors in advocating “green” lifestyles on Personal Blog, game metaphors in political campaigns on Facebook and TikTok, and war metaphors in health discourse surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic on Twitter.

Chapter 7 delves into two key discourse analysis approaches for examining social media texts: top-down move analysis and the down-top corpus approach. Move analysis involves dissecting move steps of each component unit in a text and the corpus approach scrutinizes individual word choices and phrases to garner underlying assumptions, implications and ideologies. Through two case studies, the chapter illustrates these two methods. The first examines frequent moves in responses to negative complaints on TripAdvisor, including expressing gratitude, apologizing for inconvenience, as exemplified by phrases like, “We’re sorry to hear about. . . .” The second explores linguistic strategies in a corpus of YouTube bullying comments and hate speech, including the use of attitude markers (e.g. “I despise her”), rhetorical questions (e.g. “why is her face like that?”) and directives (e.g. “shut up Greta!”), the use of pronouns.

Chapter 8 highlights the pervasive role of analogy, underscoring its significance in facilitating creative expression and discourse on social media. This chapter follows a clear logic progression, demonstrating how analogy extends from traditional language structures to digital communication. It begins by examining how words evolve through processes such as affixation, back-formation, blending, and clipping, as well as how grammatical structures manifest in fixed constructions, open schemas, or mixed slots in traditional genres. The discussion then transitions to the digital realm, where hashtags often feature blends, compounds, and clips, while internet memes are characterized by recurring schemas that reflect similar analogical processes.

Chapter 9 begins by introducing the concept of “linguistic vitality” (Meyerhoff, 2019: 120), which denotes the thriving or declining status of a language. A language is deemed minoritized or marginalized when it lacks institutional support, has low demographic uptake, and its speakers typically have lower socioeconomic status. However, social media platforms have emerged as powerful tools for rallying for these minoritized and marginalized languages, even within spaces predominantly dominated by major languages. For example, YouTube videos provoke language debates and promote linguistic ideologies regarding the value of maintaining Irish, Welsh, and Sámi languages. Additionally, Facebook provides “breathing spaces” for speakers of West and North Frisian. Furthermore, Twitter serves as a platform to expand the language classroom for Zapotec language students. These examples underscore the transformative potential of social media in revitalizing and preserving minority languages, offering new avenues for linguistic activism and community engagement.

The concluding chapter provides a comprehensive overview of language changes observed on social media platforms, encompassing shifts in lexicon, grammar, and spelling, as well as the adaptation of existing words in novel contexts. Looking ahead, the author suggests future research directions aimed at uncovering deeper insights into the nature and impact of language use on social media. Furthermore, ethical considerations surrounding the collection of social media data are emphasized, highlighting the need for careful attention and awareness in research practices.

The strengths of this book lie in its accessible content, diverse social media case studies, and multiple support materials. Firstly, this book is exceptionally accessible for newcomers to the field of linguistics, as the author adeptly explains phenomena observed on social media using fundamental linguistic concepts and clearly organizes each chapter to include a linguistic theory section and a practical section of social media case studies. Secondly, the book functions as an encyclopedia of social media, covering a wide array of case studies across various platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Messenger, personal blogs, Reddit, TikTok, TripAdvisor, Twitter, Weibo, Wikipedia, and YouTube. This diversity helps readers better understand the nuances of language use across various platforms. Thirdly, each chapter includes activity suggestions and supplementary reading materials, providing opportunities for further reflection and discussion to enhance readers’ learning. Based on the above, this book is highly suitable as a textbook for courses on linguistics, social media and communication, assisting beginners in promptly pinpointing the research interest and preparing term papers on linguistics and social media research.

However, there are a few limitations. Firstly, while this book offers a comprehensive exploration of various linguistic concepts in each chapter, its main drawback lies in the disjointed nature of these discussions. The lack of coherence and connectivity between chapters results in a somewhat scattered reading experience. Secondly, generalizations about language use may oversimplify the complexities of discourse dynamics due to the diversity of users and communities on social media. What applies to one community or context may not necessarily apply to others, leading to potential inaccuracies or misinterpretations. Thirdly, as an introductory textbook, the depth of analysis may be somewhat limited. While it provides a broad overview of linguistic concepts and their application to social media discourse, readers seeking more in-depth exploration may find it insufficient. Despite its limitations, the book is serving a function that is not common but that it has a purpose: to explore linguistic concepts in social media discourse with wide breadth and accessibility, making it an invaluable introduction for novice researchers.