Internet Offense: Decoding Translanguaging Strategies in Image Macros in China

Qi Yi

Abstract


The Internet language displays characteristics of translanguaging practices, with image macros as a notable example. Impolite content is strategically depicted in these macros, demonstrating how translanguaging resources act as a shield for offensive elements. Nonetheless, scant scholarly attention has been given to analyzing the multimodal representations of such image macros on Chinese social media. This paper conceptualizes language users as continuously re-semiotizing translanguaging resources from their linguistic repertoire. It qualitatively analyzes 120 image macros from two popular social media platforms in China, exploring offensive representation strategies and unveiling the interplay among visual, linguistic, and semiotic elements that collectively mitigate potential offense. Aside from the translanguaging of offensive language, another aspect is identified: the translanguaging of participants, where the offender is anthropomorphized and the offended is dehumanized. The findings underscore the significance of translanguaging resources in online meaning-making and shed light on the creative delineation of the boundary between humorous trolling and offensive speech on visually-driven social media platforms.


Keywords


translanguaging; image macro; Internet impolite; offense; social media

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References


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