Translanguaging in Social Media: A Case Study of Puri Viera’s Youtube Channel

Abstract

This paper explores the occurrence of translanguaging in the contexts of social media and vlogging, with a specific focus on the case study of Puri Viera, an Indonesian YouTuber living in the United States. Translanguaging is a concept that is being studied in the fields of bilingual education and sociolinguistics. It refers to a language practice where individuals use their various language skills to enhance their language learning and communication. The study highlights an important gap in the current body of literature, emphasizing the lack of research on the use of many languages in social media, specifically in the context of vlogging. Puri Viera's vlogging style, which combines American and Indonesian cultural components, is an interesting example for studying the extent of translanguaging in the globalized context of social media. This study encompasses previous research on translanguaging in educational settings by examining translanguaging practices in the participatory environment of vlogging. The study specifically investigates components such as code-switching, translation, and language brokering. The study examines and evaluates the translanguaging techniques utilized by Puri Viera, providing insight into the underlying reasons for these methods. The data demonstrate that Puri employs translanguaging as a means to achieve several objectives, such as enhancing communication, asserting her identity, introducing new topics, and assuring understanding for her diverse audience. This study enhances our comprehension of translanguaging in the digital era and highlights its significance on changing communication dynamics on social media platforms. This research provides useful insights into the shifting nature of language use in online settings by analyzing the translanguaging practices of a popular YouTuber. The study highlights the need of translanguaging as an effective means of expressing messages, emotions, and cultural identity in the ever-changing and varied field of digital communication.