Millennials Talking Media: Creating Intertextual Identities in Everyday Conversation

Author: Sierra Sylvia

Number Of Pages: 200

Details: Product Description

“Friends don’t let friends skip leg day.” “You shall not pass!” “I’ll be back.” The way we read these lines-whether or not you picture Gandalf, hear the deep monotone of the Terminator, or smile―makes it clear that media consumption affects our everyday lives, language, and how we identify as part of a group.

Millennials Talking Media examines how U.S. Millennial friends embed both old media (books, songs, movies, and TV shows) and new media (YouTube videos, videogames, and internet memes) in their everyday talk for particular interactional purposes. Sylvia Sierra presents case studies featuring the recorded talk of Millennial friends to demonstrate how and why these speakers make media references and use them to handle awkward moments and other interactional dilemmas. Sierra’s analysis shows how such references contribute to epistemic management and frame shifts in conversation, which ultimately work together to construct a shared sense of Millennial identity.

Building on contemporary work in media studies, Sierra weaves together the most current linguistic theories regarding knowledge, framing, and identity to create a book that will be of interest to Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials, and Gen Z alike.

Review

“Sierra’s work is essential not only in that it effectively illustrates how media references become an integral part of people’s lives but also because it raises readers’ awareness of representations and stereotypes in the media…” — Minghui Sun, Department of Applied Linguistics The Pennsylvania State University, Language In Society

“This book is an intellectually engaging, beautifully written text. Anyone who’s quoted a film, been confused by a meme, or wondered whether media events could be relevant after 82 years will find a treasure of fascinating examples and insights; and everyone might see a bit of themselves in this delightful window into how friends laugh and build identities together in everyday life.” — Jessica S. Robles, Loughborough University

“Sierra’s analysis deftly shows how media of all types often form the raw material for interaction, friendship, and the joy of verbal play. She updates discourse analysis to the ways that language is used in the 21st century.” — Scott Kiesling, University of Pittsburgh

About the Author

Sylvia Sierra is Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies at Syracuse University. She is a discourse analyst with a Ph.D. in linguistics from Georgetown University. She researches everyday interaction in online and offline contexts. Her research explores the relationships between knowledge, experience, media, and identity in discourse. Her work has been published in premier journals such as Language in Society and the Journal of Pragmatics.

Release Date: 09-11-2021

Package Dimensions: 12x232x289