Social Media Communication: A Pragmatic Analysis 3301-JS2834-1ST
The goal of the course is to analyse various forms of verbal and multimodal communication on social media through the lens of linguistic pragmatics. We will tease out general characteristics of social media communication on various platforms and use the methodology of cognitive pragmatics and social pragmatics to discuss the content and dynamics of social media interactions.
The topics to be discussed include:
- characteristics of social media communication (synchronous vs asynchronous, user identity, general or goal- or theme-oriented, monetized or not, original or drawn from another medium, etc.);
- basic concepts in cognitive pragmatics and social pragmatics;
- ways of creating the user’s identity on social media;
- human and non-human personas;
- the development and use of technology, including IA
- platform affordances, their functions and impact on communication;
- case studies of examples chosen by course participants.
Course coordinators
Type of course
Mode
Learning outcomes
Knowledge
The graduate has familiarity with:
- K_W01 advanced terminology, theory and research methods corresponding to the state of the art in the pragmatic analysis of social media content, in accordance with their chosen specialization (and educational path) within the domain of English Studies
- K_W09 concepts and principles concerning the protection of intellectual property and copyright
Abilities
The graduate is able to:
- K_U01 apply advanced terminology, theory and research methods corresponding to the state of the art in the pragmatic analysis of social media content, in accordance with their chosen specialization (and educational path) within the domain of English Studies
- K_U09 apply the concepts and principles of intellectual property protection and copyright law
Social competences
The graduate is ready to:
- K_K01 critically appraise their knowledge and content obtained from social media and academic sources on social media communication;
- K_K02 recognize the importance of knowledge in solving cognitive and practical problems related to communication on social media; consult experts when required.
*** Applies to students who began their studies in the year 2022/2023 ***
Knowledge
The graduate has familiarity with:
K_W02, key terminology, well established methods and theories of pragmatics and communication studies;
K_W03 methodology and recent developments in internet pragmatics;
K_W05 English grammar, syntax, phonology, phonetics,
morphology and pragmatics on an advanced level as applied in social media communication;
K_W07 principles of designing linguistic studies, with special focus on selecting appropriate methods and tools in formulating research questions and testing research hypotheses in social media communication;
Abilities:
The graduate is able to:
K_U01 employ the terminology and methodological tools from social and cognitive pragmatics to the analysis of social media communication;
K_U02 conduct research respecting the ethical norms and copyright law
K_U04 implement knowledge to complete a project in pragmatic analysis of social media communication;
K_U11 design one’s own development.
Social competences:
The graduate is ready to:
K_K02 undertake life-long learning and personal development, applying skills and competences to select subjects and projects optimally suiting one’s personal interests;
K_K03 value responsibility for one’s own work and respect the work of others, adhering to the professional and ethical norms in various projects and other activities undertaken at work, voluntary services, etc.
Assessment criteria
- presentations of case studies - 60% of the final grade (verification of outcomes: W, U, K).
- participation in discussions – 20 % of the final grade (verification of outcomes: W, U, K).
- short written assignments – 20 % of the final grade (verification of outcomes: W, U, K).
Bibliography
Lind, Miriam. 2024. “Meowmy, Pawrents and Menschenwelpen ‘human puppies’: Linguistic practices of doing interspecies families on German Instagram. ” Discourse, Context & Media 60, 100800.
Lou, Adrian. 2017. “Multimodal simile: The ‘when’ meme in social media discourse.” English Text Construction 10(1): 106–131. https://doi.org/10.1075/etc.10.1.06lou
Marwick, Alice & danah boyd. 2011. “I tweet honestly, I tweet passionately: Twitter users, context collapse, and the imagined audience”. New Media & Society 13(1): 114–133.
Maddox, Jessica. 2021. “The secret life of pet Instagram accounts: Joy, resistance, and commodification in the internet’s cute economy. ” New Media & Society 23(11): 3332–3348.
Piata, Anna. 2020. “Stylistic humor across modalities. The case of Classical Art Memes”. Internet Pragmatics 3(2) 174–201.
Piskorska, Ag. 2026. Animal personas, ambivalent judgements, and affective effects in social media reels. Internet Pragmatics (online first)
Podhovnik, Edith. 2018. “The purrification of English: Meowlogisms in online communities: A qualitative description of a selected #blackcat community on Instagram. English Today 34(3): 2–16.
Scott, Kate. 2021. Memes as multimodal metaphors: A relevance theory analysis. Pragmatics and Cognition 28(2):277-298.
Truan, Naomi. 2023. “French-speaking cats on Twitter as an enregistered variety and community of practice”. Internet Pragmatics, 6 (1): 67 – 10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/ip.00083.tru
Yus, Francisco. 2021a. Smartphone Communication. Interactions in the App Ecosystem. Abingdon: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003200574
Yus, Francisco. 2021b. “Incongruity-resolution humorous strategies in image macro memes”. Internet Pragmatics 4 (1): 131 – 149.
Yus, Francisco. 2023. Pragmatics of Internet Humor. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan
Yus, Francisco. 2025. Emoji Pragmatics. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan
Notes
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Term 2026Z:
Attendance is obligatory. 3 absences are allowed. The use of AI tools is subject to the following regulations: UCHWAŁA NR 98 UNIWERSYTECKIEJ RADY DS. KSZTAŁCENIA z dnia 8 grudnia 2023 r. w sprawie wytycznych dotyczących korzystania z narzędzi sztucznej inteligencji w procesie kształcenia |