French: Social Media in the French-Speaking World

This course introduces concepts and theories in discourse analysis and communication studies that are useful in analyses of social media in the French speaking parts of the world. Linguistic, social and technical aspects of communication in French-speaking social media are treated in the course. The course discusses how the French language is used in this context, and also treats discursive practices in different media types such as blogs, micro-blogs, forum discussions and comment sections. Questions that are also discussed are what separates traditional media from social media and what the digital context (the properties of platforms, the design of interfaces, the possibilities to hyperlinking, etc) means for language use and communication in social media. The importance of social media for identity construction, as well as their role as an arena for discussions and debates in the French-speaking parts the world are also studied.