MULTIMODAL COMMUNICATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH AND UZBEK INSTAGRAM/FACEBOOK DISCOURSE
Abstract
This article presents a comparative analysis of the pragmatic and sociolinguistic features of multimodal discourse in English and Uzbek on Instagram and Facebook. Based on a corpus of 200 posts published between 2023 and 2024, the study examines the interaction of multimodal resources such as images, text, emojis, hashtags, visual genres, and layout. A specially developed analytical framework of 20 parameters enables a detailed comparison of modal composition, politeness strategies, code-switching patterns, identity construction, visual genres, and algorithmic engagement across the two languages. The findings reveal that English posts tend to emphasize individualism, self-branding, and global engagement, while Uzbek posts highlight collectivism, respect, spirituality, and national identity through multimodal means. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of cross-cultural digital communication and offers practical implications for digital pragmatics, translation studies, language teaching, and media literacy.
Keywords
How to Cite
References
Androutsopoulos, J. Languaging when contexts collapse: Audience design in social networking. Discourse, Context & Media. 2014.
Barton, D., & Lee, C. Language Online: Investigating Digital Texts and Practices. Routledge. 2013.
Baron, N. S. Always On: Language in an Online and Mobile World. Oxford University Press. 2008.
Baym, N. K. Personal Connections in the Digital Age (2nd ed.). Polity Press. 2015.
Blommaert, J. The Sociolinguistics of Globalization. Cambridge University Press. 2010. boyd, d. It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. Yale University Press. 2014.
Crystal, D. Internet Linguistics: A Student Guide. Routledge. 2011.
Danesi, M. The Semiotics of Emoji: The Rise of Visual Language in the Age of the Internet. Bloomsbury. 2016.
Derks, D., Fischer, A. H., & Bos, A. E. R. The role of emotion in computer-mediated communication: A review. Computers in Human Behavior. 2008.
Dresner, E., & Herring, S. C. Functions of the nonverbal in CMC: Emoticons and illocutionary force. Communication Theory. 2010.
Gao, X., et al. A systematic review of emoji: Current research and future perspectives. Frontiers in Psychology. 2019.
Halliday, M. A. K., & Matthiessen, C. Halliday’s Introduction to Functional Grammar (4th ed.). Routledge. 2014.
Herring, S. C. Discourse in Web 2.0: Familiar, reconfigured, and emergent. In D. Tannen & A. M. Trester (eds.), Discourse 2.0: Language and New Media. 2013.
Herring, S. C., & Androutsopoulos, J. Computer-mediated discourse 2.0. In D. Tannen, H. E. Hamilton & D. Schiffrin (eds.), The Handbook of Discourse Analysis (2nd ed.). 2015.
Jewitt, C. (ed.). The Routledge Handbook of Multimodal Analysis. Routledge. 2009.
Jones, R. H., Chik, A., & Hafner, C. A. Discourse and Digital Practices: Doing Discourse Analysis in the Digital Age. Routledge. 2015.
Kress, G. Multimodality: A Social Semiotic Approach to Contemporary Communication. Routledge. 2010.
Kress, G., & van Leeuwen, T. Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design (2nd ed.). Routledge. 2006.
McCulloch, G. Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language. Riverhead Books. 2019.
Norris, S. Analyzing Multimodal Interaction: A Methodological Framework. Routledge. 2004.
Page, R. Stories and Social Media: Identities and Interaction. Routledge. 2012.
Seargeant, P., & Tagg, C. (eds.). The Language of Social Media: Identity and Community on the Internet. Palgrave Macmillan. 2014.
Tagg, C. The Discourse of Text Messaging. Bloomsbury. 2012.
Tang, Y. Emoticon, emoji, and sticker use in computer-mediated communication. Doctoral thesis, University of Hong Kong. 2019.
Thurlow, C., & Mroczek, K. (eds.). Digital Discourse: Language in the New Media. Oxford University Press. 2011.
Tossell, C. C., et al. A longitudinal study of emoticon use in text messaging from smartphones. Computers in Human Behavior. 2012.
Vasquez, C. The Discourse of Online Consumer Reviews. Bloomsbury. 2014.
Werry, C. Linguistic and interactional features of Internet Relay Chat. In S. C. Herring (ed.), Computer-Mediated Communication: Linguistic, Social and Cross-Cultural Perspectives. 1996.
Zappavigna, M. Discourse of Twitter and SocialMedia: How We Use Language to Create Affiliation on the Web. Bloomsbury. 2012.
Zappavigna, M. Social tagging as a resource for aligning around values in Twitter. Discourse, Context & Media. 2018.
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Mohibonu Abduganiyeva
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
