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Reflections on Reflexivity in Digital Communication: Towards a Third Wave of Metadiscourse Studies

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Metadiscourse in Digital Communication

Abstract

This chapter contributes to metadiscourse theory and our understanding of digital forms of communication. Digital communication carries great potential in that mainstream metadiscourse studies are limited to seeing academic writing as prototypical. A popular vlog is explored by asking ‘What is done in the vlog that we do not/cannot do in academic writing?’. The reflexive model is revisited and applied to the selected vlog, which is especially interesting in being highly ‘meta’ without having much metadiscourse. It is shown how other semiotic resources support the metadiscourse. The qualitative analysis illustrates delimitations and differences between metadiscourse and related phenomena. ‘Synchronous intertextuality’ is coined, for the way simulator games are running, with the vlogger interacting. A third wave of metadiscourse studies is envisioned, shifting the focus from non-propositional and interpersonal to reflexive.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This paper builds on a plenary talk given at the second Metadiscourse Across Genres (MAG) conference, held in Bergamo, Italy, in June 2019.

  2. 2.

    See, e.g. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/technology/pewdiepie-how-king-youtube-make-6026378 and https://time.com/3732203/the-30-most-influential-people-on-the-internet/ as support for PewDiePie’s popularity.

  3. 3.

    The vlog url is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO7BkG6mTFs. Sensitive readers may be warned that taboo words and offensive language use occur in the vlog.

  4. 4.

    In the examples, spoken material is in blue while written material is underlined. My annotations are in square brackets. Written material and notes about gesturing such as pointing were included in the annotation. Other semiotic details were added only for sequences that were deemed relevant for the discussion.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Humanities and Media Studies, Dalarna University, Falun, Sweden

    Annelie Ädel

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  1. Annelie Ädel
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Correspondence to Annelie Ädel .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Foreign Languages Literature and Cultures, University of Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy

    Larissa D'Angelo

  2. University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Anna Mauranen

  3. Department of Foreign Languages Literature and Cultures, University of Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy

    Stefania Maci

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Ädel, A. (2021). Reflections on Reflexivity in Digital Communication: Towards a Third Wave of Metadiscourse Studies. In: D'Angelo, L., Mauranen, A., Maci, S. (eds) Metadiscourse in Digital Communication. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85814-8_3

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