"subtle asian traits": Multimodal construction of dialogue and identity on Facebook
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Abstract
This study examines how multimodal resources are incorporated into constructed dialogue in "subtle asian traits" [sic], a closed Facebook group for Asian young adults living in Anglophone countries. I draw on Tannen's (2007) concept of "constructed dialogue" and Och's (1993) theory of stance and identity to analyze three Facebook posts in which posters depict parent-child interactions by using memes, screenshots, and video to voice recognizable "figures of personhood" (Agha, 2005); I also examine comments responding to the posts. Posters edit images and videos to construct multimodal dialogue evoking and evaluating familiar figures such as the emotionally inexpressive father and the critical mother. Commenters engage with this dialogue to affirm their common knowledge of the figure it portrays and thereby construct a shared sense of cultural identity. This study deepens our understanding of constructed dialogue by highlighting that dialogue creates meaning in interaction through not only words but also visual and auditory details such as gestures or tone of voice.
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