THE IDENTITY REPERTOIRES OF ROMANIAN MICROCELEBRITIES. A DIGITAL ETHNOGRAPHY APPROACH TO TELLING A LIFE STORY ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Alexandra COTOC; Anamaria RADU

doi:10.24193/subbphilo.2024.4.16

Authors

Alexandra COTOC Department of English Language and Literature at the Faculty of Letters, Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania. Email: alexandra.cotoc@ubbcluj.ro. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2395-2958
Anamaria RADU Department of Romanian Language, Culture and Civilization, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Email: anamaria.radu@ubbcluj.ro. https://orcid.org/0009-0005-4819-6975

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24193/subbphilo.2024.4.16

Keywords:

digital discourse, digital ethnography, fluid identity, multimodal identity repertoires, microcelebrity

Abstract

The Identity Repertoires of Romanian Microcelebrities. A Digital Ethnography Approach to Telling a Life Story on Social Media. The multimodal identities of microcelebrities on social network sites and the complementarity between textual and visual elements contribute to telling an autobiographical story that surpasses the digital world. Using a digital ethnography approach, we aim to analyse the way in which queer Romanian microcelebrities construct an online presence and produce online diaries of their personal lives. Adjacent to this analysis of constant online identity performance, this study will show that the digital practices used by these netizens also raise awareness of the minority groups they represent and shed light on various contemporary social issues. As such, placing emphasis on the collage technique, a qualitative analysis is needed to provide an emic perspective of the performance of fluid identities and the narrativisation of the self via complex language, discourse, and semiotic architecture.

The significance of our sociocultural linguistic study is discussed in relation to the fact that the microcelebrities under consideration showcase Romanian emblematic profiles of the selfie-culture in which self-representation is constructed by apparently disjointed bits and pieces that constitute a complex matrix.

REZUMAT. Repertoriile identitare ale microcelebrităților românești. O abordare etnografică digitală a construirii unor autobiografii pe platformele online de socializare. Identitățile multimodale ale microcelebrităților de pe platformele de socializare și complementaritatea dintre elementele textuale și cele vizuale contribuie la relatarea unei povești autobiografice care transcende lumea digitală. Folosind abordarea etnografiei digitale, ne propunem să analizăm modul în care microcelebritățile queer din România își construiesc o imagine online și produc jurnale online ale vieții lor personale. Adiacent la această analiză a construcției identitare în spațiul digital, acest studiu va arăta că practicile digitale folosite de utilizatori sensibilizează, de asemenea, grupurile minoritare pe care le reprezintă și pune în lumină diferitele probleme sociale contemporane. Din cauza caracterului fragmentar al discursului în mediul online, este necesară o analiză calitativă pentru a oferi o perspectivă emică asupra identităților fluide și a narativizării sinelui prin intermediul limbajului complex, al discursului și al arhitecturii semiotice.

Importanța studiului nostru constă în faptul că microcelebritățile analizate prezintă profile românești emblematice ale culturii selfie în care auto-reprezentarea este construită prin fragmente aparent disjuncte care constituie o matrice complexă.

Cuvinte-cheie: discurs digital, etnografie digitală, identitate fluidă, repertorii identitare multimodale, microcelebritate

Article history: Received 7 March 2024; Revised 16 April 2024; Accepted 1 September 2024; Available online 10 December 2024; Available print 30 December 2024.

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