Metadiscourse in and on social media (ESSE2026 seminar)

Wednesday Sep 2, 2026, 9:00 AM → 8:00 PM Europe/Brussels

Anna Piata, Lieven Vandelanotte (Universite de Namur)

Call for papers for a seminar to be held as part of the ESSE2026 conference, Santiago de Compostela (31 August - 4 September 2026), on

Metadiscourse in and on social media

The call is now closed. Accepted abstracts are now available (see "Contribution list").

Convenors:

• Lieven Vandelanotte (BAAHE)
• Anna Piata (HASE)

 

ESSE 2026_Provisional Programme & Book of Abstracts.pdf

Timetable session (2 September).pdf

9:00 AM → 11:00 AM S12 (1/2) Metadiscourse in and on social media

9:00 AM Metadiscourse in and on social media: Introduction to the session

In this introduction to the seminar, we explore our overall theme: the use of English, often alongside images and emoji, in examples of various types of metadiscourse ‘in’ social media – self-reflexive forms of the discourse itself – but also ‘on’ or ‘about’ social media – i.e. discussions that emerge in society on social media usage. We offer discussion and sample analyses of both dimensions. The first dimension covers so-called meta-memes or ‘memes about memes’, including deliberate blends of different, normally incongruent memes, or examples which break the ‘fourth wall’. It also covers various platform-specific practices which direct and regulate online readers’ attention (cf. Hyland 2005, D'Angelo et al. 2021), including ‘quote-tweeting’ (which the ‘quoted’ may object to: ‘why don’t you just reply like a normal person’), ‘snitch tagging’ (explicitly tagging someone to alert them to the fact they are being discussed, typically unfavourably), and the use of ‘alt text’ to describe appended images verbally (potentially adding ironic commentary that goes beyond description). As to the second dimension – discussions, by commentators and lay people alike, of specific instances of social media usage – one need only think of cases such as US entrepreneur Elon Musk publicly proclaiming “I am become meme”, or a White House spokesperson (commenting on a digitally altered image put out by the White House) commenting that “Enforcement of the law will continue. The memes will continue.”

Speakers: Anna Piata (National & Kapodistrian University of Athens), Lieven Vandelanotte (Universite de Namur)

9:30 AM ‘I Have One Daughter’: Meta-Pragmatic Play in TikTok Sound Memes

TikTok’s affordance for reusing the audio track of an existing post enables a distinctive form of multimodal meta discourse where users communicate not only through what they say, but through how they re contextualise another creator’s discourse. This paper analyses the “I Have One Daughter” TikTok sound meme as a form of meta meme in which creators perform patterns of conversational breakdown, stereotype driven inference, and repeated pragmatic misunderstanding. Although the original audio was not produced as a meme template, its circulation through TikTok’s “Use sound” feature has generated a family of posts in which creators lip sync the original dialogue while overlaying incongruent captions that map the inferences associated with the original audio onto new discourse contexts. As performances of miscommunication, the memes offer meta-pragmatic commentary on social misunderstandings.

Through analysis of a corpus of meme tokens, including examples that explicitly break the fourth wall, I show how creators use a combination of audio, text, and non-verbal cues to guide the audience toward the intended interpretation. Drawing on assumptions from relevance theory, I argue that these meme variants function by deliberately manipulating layers of ostension and inference. To form a relevant interpretation of a meme token, viewers must access inferences that are highly accessible when listening to the audio and then attribute them to the discourse context represented via the sub-titles and other visual components.

The meme’s dual layer structure exemplifies a platform specific practice comparable to other social media native forms of meta discourse, such as quote tweeting or ironic alt text. The study contributes to emerging pragmatic research on meta memes and multimodal constructions, as well as to broader discussions of how discourse is used, recontextualized, and re performed in contemporary social media environments.

Speaker: Kate Scott (Kingston University)

10:00 AM Textual Metadiscourse and Humorous Framing in TikTok’s POV Genre

This paper examines how textual-layer features in TikTok’s POV genre, specifically textual overlays and captions incorporating emojis and hashtags, function as metadiscursive cues that guide humorous interpretation. Following Hyland’s (2005) account of metadiscourse as discourse that frames interpretation and signals stance, these textual elements are treated as resources that organise how viewers are oriented toward the audiovisual scene rather than as part of its diegesis. In POV videos, textual cues operate extradiegetically to structure interpretation across the video, contributing both to the establishment of initial expectations and to the interpretation of humorous outcomes.

Textual overlays and captions perform distinct but coordinated functions within this process. Overlays pre-structure interpretation by assigning the viewer a role and delimiting a set of plausible expectations before the audiovisual action unfolds. In doing so, they activate genre expectations shaped by shared meme conventions and establish an interpretive baseline against which subsequent audiovisual cues can be evaluated as humorous deviations (Shifman, 2014). Captions containing text, hashtags and emojis, instead, operate retrospectively, shaping how viewers interpret and align with the humorous resolution once it becomes available. Drawing on Zappavigna and Logi’s (2024) account of emojis as paralinguistic resources, this study examines how these cues, alongside text and hashtags within captions, shape affective tone, signal stance, and position viewers toward an intended humorous reading.

Extending earlier work on how audiovisual modes construct humorous incongruity through modal interplay in the POV genre (Willoughby, forthcoming), this study examines how textual-layer features function as metadiscursive cues that further organise interpretation and render humorous intent legible within shared communicative norms. By analysing these cues alongside the organisation of audiovisual modes, the study offers a more integrated account of how humorous incongruity is coordinated across modes in short-form digital video.

References
Hyland, K. (2005). Metadiscourse. Continuum.
Shifman, L. (2014). Memes in digital culture. MIT Press.
Willoughby, A. (forthcoming). Humour and modal interplay in TikTok’s POV genre. In A. Beville, F. Ciambella, & J. Culpeper (Eds.), Bridging the gap between pragmatics and multimodality (Special issue). Lingue e Linguaggi.
Zappavigna, M., & Logi, L. (2024). Emoji and social media paralanguage. Cambridge University Press.

Speaker: Audrey Willoughby (University of Milan)

10:30 AM Ventriloquizing on the Internet: Using Dogs to Manage Delicate Conversations On TikTok

This paper explores the phenomenon of ventriloquizing dogs on social media, specifically focusing on TikTok. Much of the work that has been done with ventriloquizing has been in face-to-face interaction (Tannen, 2004). My research brings an asynchronous, computer-mediated approach to studying how ventriloquizing is done and what it achieves.

Using a multimodal framework informed by interactional sociolinguistics, I examine how creators employ ventriloquizing to navigate delicate topics such as telling personal stories, responding to criticism, and promoting products to their audience. The study utilizes a data set consisting of three one-minute video narratives and associated top user comments from the TikTok account @goldenchilaquil. The analysis reveals that ventriloquizing dogs on TikTok involves the use of specific linguistic markers, such as technology-based voice modification as well as prosodic features, to create a distinct persona for the dog. By employing ventriloquizing techniques, creators can effectively shift their footing, assuming new perspectives and framing their narratives in a less face-threatening manner. One such example from my data discusses the criticism of the human gentrification of Mexico and how the dog is used to frame the criticism as humorous content. By positioning the dog as the principal speaker, creators can address negative feedback indirectly, maintaining a positive online presence. Audience comments demonstrate community solidarity, as users align themselves with the dog's perspective and show support for the creator.

The paper highlights the role of ventriloquizing in constructing dialogue and framing discourse, shedding light on the evolving nature of online communication and its intersection with social media platforms. The findings contribute to our understanding of how users interact in online spaces and present themselves through mediated voices, providing insights into the multifaceted ways in which individuals engage with others in digital environments.

Speaker: Miriah Ralston (Teachers College, Columbia University)

3:00 PM → 5:00 PM S12 (2/2) Metadiscourse in and on social media

3:00 PM The Metapragmatics of Mock Language

This paper examines mock language, a form of linguistic imitation in which speakers reproduce stylised features of other languages, such as the Mock Spanish expression ‘No problemo!’ or scribbles labelled as Chinese script. Framed as ‘non-serious’ (Hill 1993, p. 155) and frequently circulating through memes (Huang 2024), mock language is tolerated despite its (c)overt Othering, which positions a language and its speakers as subordinate. Such meanings are foregrounded by metapragmatic awareness, understood as sensitivity to how language implicitly and explicitly communicates social meaning (Silverstein 1976).

Framing memes as a distinct multimodal and metadiscursive modality, this study examines mock language through the digital medium. It asks: What linguistic and semiotic features characterise mock language in memes, and how do these features realise ideological meaning?

The empirical analysis is based on a case study of Mock German memes $(n = 51)$ across two templates: Little German Boy (Fig.1) and Flammenwerfer (Fig.2). Memes were gathered via targeted keyword searches on Tumblr and analysed as linguistic data using adapted interlinear glossing. Feature identification reveals systematic hyper-anglicisation/foreignisation and morphosyntactic reconfiguration. Drawing on theories of indexicality (Ochs 1996), language ideologies (Irvine 2000), and metapragmatics, the analysis examines how features index a caricatured ‘German-ness’ through non-positive semantic associations (Halliday 1978).

Findings support the view that memes thrive on creative imitation, ideological subversion, and provocation, which makes them particularly conducive to mock language practices (cf. Shifman et al. 2014; Holm 2021). Ongoing work extends this analysis to additional mock language forms (e.g. Chinese, Turkish), with an emphasis on metapragmatic recognition and perceptual evaluation across audiences. The study contributes to sociolinguistic and memetic scholarship by highlighting the role of memes and circulation in the reproduction and amplification of language ideologies, and by offering a replicable framework for mock language research.

REFERENCES:
Halliday, M.A.K. (1978). Language as Social Semiotic: The Social Interpretation of Language and Meaning. London: Edward Arnold, pp. 111-112.

Hill, J.H. (1993). “Hasta la vista, baby: Anglo Spanish in the American Southwest.” Critique of Anthropology, 13(2), pp. 145–176.

Holm, C.H. (2021). “What do you meme? The sociolinguistic potential of internet memes.” Leviathan: Interdisciplinary Journal in English, 7, pp. 1-18.

Huang, X., et al. (2024). “The rise of cross-language internet memes: A social semiotic analysis.” Signs and Society, 12(2), pp. 125–141.

Irvine, J.T. and Gal, S. (2000). “Language ideology and linguistic differentiation.” In Kroskrity, P.V. (ed.), Regimes of Language: Ideologies, Polities, and Identities. Santa Fe, NM: School of American Research Press, pp. 35–83.

Shifman, L., Levy, H. and Thelwall, M. (2014). “Internet jokes: The secret agents of globalization?” New Media & Society, 19(4), pp. 727–743.

Silverstein, M. (1976). “Shifters, linguistic categories, and cultural description.” In Basso, K. and Selby, H.A. (eds.), Meaning in Anthropology. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, pp. 11–55.

Speaker: Brittany Bryant (University of Cambridge)

ESSE2026 Abstract.pdf

3:30 PM Anthropomorphism and Parodic Templates of Cat Memes in Social Media: The Pragmatics of Aesthetic Framing

This paper examines cat memes and anthropomorphized characters in Japanese social media, focusing on how they function as pragmatic resources that soften stance-taking and affective expression. While multimodal meme constructions (Dancygier & Vandelanotte 2017, 2025) and stylistic–humorous effects (Piata 2020) are well documented, the pragmatic mechanism through which speakers delegate their voice to nonhuman characters has received little attention. In particular, how anthropomorphism offloads face-threat and enables safer stance-taking on SNS remains underexplored.
　This study shows that (1) delegating difficult or risky content—such as irony, complaints, vulnerability, or social critique—to cats or other nonhuman characters reduces face-threat for the speaker; (2) such characters mitigate the interpersonal harshness of negative evaluation; and (3) their cuteness enables affective lightening, making stance-taking more affiliative. Contemporary cat memes rely on highly conventionalized multimodal templates—specific movements (jumping, shouting, head-holding), recurrent audio tracks, and standardized editing frames—that collectively function as quasi-linguistic resources indexing emotion and evaluation. This suggests that cat memes have begun to operate not merely as materials, but as shareable multimodal constructions that approximate linguistic behavior.
　In Japanese culture, anthropomorphic expression has a long history, from Chōjū-giga to I Am a Cat, and today extends to public messaging: administrative mascots, corporate characters, and small animal figures routinely deliver instructions, warnings, and rules. Nonhuman characters have thus become culturally institutionalized as tools for face-work. This cultural foundation enhances the role of cat memes as voice-bearing vessels that safely externalize the speaker’s stance.In contrast, AI-generated images based on specific copyrighted worlds (e.g., Studio Ghibli–style images) tend to spark controversy due to their unlicensed extraction of aesthetic and narrative elements.
　By juxtaposing these cases, the paper demonstrates how anthropomorphism, parody, and templated meme formats function as pragmatic resources in social media metadiscourse, thus enabling nuanced emotional and interpersonal positioning.

References
Dancygier, B., & Vandelanotte, L. (2017). Internet memes as multimodal constructions. Cognitive Linguistics, 28(3), 565–598.
Dancygier, B., & Vandelanotte, L. (2025). Embodiment and simulated interaction in online stance expression. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, Article 1479825.
Piata, A. (2020). Stylistic humor across modalities: The case of Classical Art Memes. Internet Pragmatics, 3(2), 174–201.

Speaker: Nami Arimitsu (Toyo University)

4:00 PM “I know it’s basic, annoying, and cringe advice”: Metapragmatic negotiation of venting playframes on r/mentalhealth

Mental-health communities on social media have been critically discussed as sites that may foster epistemic closure and problematic forms of advice or self-understanding. Such concerns often presuppose a model of interaction centered on deliberation and epistemic consensus (Habermas 1981). This study instead conceptualizes these sites as interactional environments in which the norms of communicating about mental health are reflexively negotiated, and prevailing paradigms of advice and care are challenged. This metapragmatic orientation becomes particularly visible in venting discourse on Reddit, where platform-afforded metapragmatic labels (Haugh 2018) – so-called flairs – are employed to index the pragmatic function of posts, define desired responses, and delimit unwanted forms of discourse. By framing posts as expressions of negative affect rather than requests for advice or solutions, venting complicates models of intersubjectively established consensus and raises the question of how posters and respondents signal adherence to – or deviation from – the specified playframe, understood as an interactional dilemma in CA terms (Speer 2005).

Adopting a corpus-pragmatic approach, this study examines strategies of metapragmatic calibration in 200 venting-flaired post events on r/mentalhealth (Page 2019). The data were coded for explicit metapragmatic strategies (Hübler & Bublitz 2007) and analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively to identify formal–functional patterns.

The analysis shows that both posters and respondents engage in extensive metapragmatic labor oriented toward managing the normative delicacy of venting. Posters routinely frame their contributions as potentially excessive or inappropriate, while respondents pre-emptively downgrade advice or explicitly account for offering it at all. These self-effacing moves, often playful, are accompanied by metadiscursive commentary on advice-giving norms and prior responses, through which discourse-external voices – such as generalized “advice-givers” or hegemonically perceived mental-health discourses – are invoked and delegitimized. What is often characterized as validation can thus be shown to involve systematic metapragmatic labor through which participation norms are interactionally produced and sustained.

References
Haugh, M. (2018). Corpus-based metapragmatics. In A. H. Jucker, K. P. Schneider, & W. Bublitz (Eds.), Methods in pragmatics (pp. 619–644). De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110424928-024
Habermas, J. (1981). The theory of communicative action (Vols. 1–2). Beacon Press.
Hübler, A., & Bublitz, W. (2007). Introducing metapragmatics in use. In W. Bublitz & A. Hübler (Eds.), Metapragmatics in use (pp. 1–26). John Benjamins.
Page, R. (2019). Self-denigration and the mixed messages of “ugly” selfies on Instagram. Internet Pragmatics, 2(2), 173–205. https://doi.org/10.1075/ip.00035.pag
Speer, S. A. (2005). Gender talk: Feminism, discourse and conversation analysis. Routledge.

Speaker: Eva Triebl (University of Vienna, English Department)

4:30 PM Epistemic Contestation in Online Political Discourse: Metadiscursive Engagement with ‘Fake News’, ‘Disinformation’, and ‘Conspiracy Theory’ in User Comments on US Presidential Elections

The concepts ‘fake news’, ‘disinformation’, and ‘conspiracy theory’ are often perceived as denoting discrete and describable categories of problematic content. Yet in public discourse, besides functioning as classifications, these terms also function metadiscursively: their use reflects socially-mediated judgments on discourse, ideologically positions participants in interaction, and signals normative ideas about legitimacy in political discourse. This warrants a unifying analysis that explores how these terms are reflexively engaged with in online interactions.

The current paper analyses a corpus of user comments from The New York Times in response to the 2016, 2020, and 2024 US presidential elections, using the comments as a case of mainstream-platform political talk. It analyses how language users mobilized the epistemic labels ‘fake news’, ‘conspiracy theory’ and ‘disinformation’ at various points in time, and how the terms’ usage shifted across these three pivotal moments. Through corpus-linguistic analysis (including collocation and frequency patterns) and qualitative coding, the analysis focuses on language users’ first-order (emic) interpretations: explicit metalanguage and metacommunication revealing participants’ views of the terms’ meanings, their usage, and how they are linked to stereotypical personae.

The concepts' shared orientation to truth and authority renders their usage across the dataset highly adversarial. The labels frequently function as a means of contestation, foregrounding not only disagreement about certain propositions, but about the terms of discourse themselves. As disputes recurrently target the legitimacy of labeling (rather than merely the factuality of propositions), they make shared epistemic frames harder to sustain. Over time, some terms increasingly attract metadiscourse, attesting to their entrenchment as flashpoints for contesting epistemic authority. The findings have implications for ongoing debates on polarization in contemporary democratic societies, as their usage may escalate disagreement.

Speaker: Cedric Deschrijver (Ming Chuan University)