A Multimodal Discursive Analysis of the Communicative Elements of Sexism in Facebook Picture Uploads

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A Multimodal Discursive Analysis of the Communicative Elements of Sexism in Facebook Picture Uploads

Journal Title: International Journal of Social Science And Human Research - Year 2020, Vol 3, Issue 05

Abstract

A good number of studiesin the past have examined the language of sexism from the feminist perspectives, gender segregation and degradation, etc. using semiotics resources, discourse analysis, multimodal discourse, among other theories. This study looks at sexist language as one of the choices available to language users on the Facebook social media platform by identifying the linguistic and non-linguistic elements used as a communicative vehicle of sexism on the platform. Using the multimodal theory as framework, the study examines 10 Facebook posts with texted pictures and comments. This is precipitated on the discovery that less attention is paid on the signification of the communicative elements deployed to convey sexism on the Facebook platform. From the analysis, the study finds out that Facebook users engage linguistic and non-linguistic elements symbolising sexist language on Facebook postings; that the posts on Facebook rely predominantly on both written texts and pictures, combined to make the tagging or stereotyping concrete;that the sexist posts on Facebook platforms rely heavily on hasty or intentional generalisation in order to demean the sex they chose to target through texts, pictures and the combination of texts or pictures and that there is usually an undertone of humour in most of the sexist posts, which can, in a way, undermine the fact that the posts are created to demean the opposite gender rather than for fun.

Authors and Affiliations

1Yemi Mahmud,2Idegbekwe Destiny

Keywords

extralinguistic features Facebook feminism gender linguistics features multimodal analysis semiotics sexist language texted pictures.

EP ID EP684036
DOI -
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