Identity and social media interactions between L1 and L2 Spanish speakers: The case of Reddit postings

Abstract

How do Spanish speaking users of the social media platform Reddit present their identities in an anonymous digital setting? This study examines interactions between anonymous users in the subreddit r/Spanish which is an online forum dedicated to language learning. It is composed of nearly 260,000 users, many of whom are either L1 or L2 speakers of Spanish, who frequently discuss topics surrounding language learning, pragmatics, and metalinguistic explanations of Spanish. In order to learn how identities and cyperpragmatics are developed and presented among anonymous users online, digital discourse and pragmatics were employed to examine two Reddit postings and their subsequent discussions between responders. The results of this study shows how Reddit users within the subreddit r/Spanish often use personal user flair (a customizable and public note that each user can attach as a tag to their username), discourse, digital resources, and cyber pragmatics to present their identities. This study contributes to the growing field of study surrounding spontaneous digital discourse and pragmatics among language learners.