FCP Doctoral Presentation Institute of Education

Do ? Multimodal patterns of

regularity and variation

in video-interaction

29:05:08 / IoE

Elisabetta Adami

Object of study:

• Interaction through videos on

Analysing Elisabetta Adami

29:05:08 / IoE

18:01:08 / M.A.Gr.

Analysing Elisabetta Adami

29:05:08 / IoE

and Video-interaction

• Written comments

• Video responses

video-interaction:communication threads made up of video files

Video X

Video X.1

Video X.2

Video X.3

Video X.1.1

Video X.1.2

RE:

RE:

RE:

RE:

RE:

Video X.1.2.1

Video X.1.2.2

RE:

RE:

Research question(s):

• The semiotic practices of video-interaction– patterns of regularity and variation

• semiotic resources • topic-relatedness

• Ultimate aim:– current uses of video-response option – > communicative functions of video-interaction

Analysing Elisabetta Adami

29:05:08 / IoE

Theoretical framework

• Social semiotic multimodal analysis• (Halliday 1978; Hodge & Kress 1988; Kress & Van Leeuwen 1996, 2006)

• Further references:

– Speech acts theory + Conversation analysis – (Searle 1969, Austin 1975, Sacks, Schlegoff, & Jefferson 1974)

Analysing Elisabetta Adami

29:05:08 / IoE

PhD research

18:01:08 / M.A.Gr.

Analysing Elisabetta Adami

•Request for responses

The corpus: video threads/1

The first thread:• @----Where Do YouTube?----@

∙ 1 initial video └ 792 responses

└ 33 sub-responses└ 1 sub-sub response

∙1 video summary└ 8 vid.responses

└ 1 sub-response

Analysing Elisabetta Adami

29:05:08 / IoE

Analysing Elisabetta Adami

29:05:08 / IoE

• No (explicit) request

The corpus: video threads/2

Third thread:

• Best video EVER! – 1 initial video – 611 video responses

+ N sub-responses

Analysing Elisabetta Adami

29:05:08 / IoE

The video threads: extant analysisfully transcribed and

analysed

- topic-relatedness

- multimodal deployment

- communicative functions

partially transcribed and analysed

first observations

- topic-relatedness

Analysing Elisabetta Adami

29:05:08 / IoE

Analysing Elisabetta Adami

29:05:08 / IoE

Where tubers (declare to) tubeAnalysing Elisabetta Adami

• 59 countries (732 videos)

29:05:08 / IoE

Where tubers (declare to) tubeAnalysing Elisabetta Adami

29:05:08 / IoE

Analysing Elisabetta Adami

Multimodal deploymentMODE NO. OF VIDEOSWritten Hand-writing 532 700

Type-writing 168

Image Photos 94 350Shots 73

Drawings 23

Flags 33

Maps (or satellite shot) 68

Clothing 15

Spoken (43 spoken only) 92Soundtrack related to the topic 44Singing 4

Visual

Auditory

29:05:08 / IoE

Analysing Elisabetta Adami

Multimodal deployment

356 video responses311 spoken language

835 video responses700 written language

29:05:08 / IoE

Analysing Elisabetta Adami

Variations-within-attuning = differentiation

29:05:08 / IoE

Posture

Gestures Facial expressions

Gaze Avatars

writing supports/materials

Music/Sound

Drawing

Photo

Layout

Clothing

Colour

Camera position

Primary Interpersonal Function:• The ideational (content) functions interpersonally :

– Presents each tuber’s role (leader/subversive/devoted)

• The textual (form) functions interpersonally :– Differentiation (variation-within-attuning)

• Each video is a performative act:– Initial video: summoning– Video responses: gathering– Summarising video: selective reinforcing

collective product = ‘we are’

Analysing Elisabetta Adami

29:05:08 / IoE

Topic-relatednessAnalysing Elisabetta Adami

29:05:08 / IoE

• The less explicit the request, the more implied the knowledge:

•Act-related: •formal response (parody)•evaluation (comment)

•Tuber-related:•evaluation•previous acts (‘Leave Britney Alone’) •gay/trans meeting forum

•Spam (tubing-related): •Tuber’s purposes beyond interacting (no. of views)

Provisional conclusions:• Formal regularities: attuning function (solidarity)• Variations: differentiating function (individuality)• Uses of video-response option:

– topic-related reply; – tuber-related comment; – tubing-related purposes (to get views)

• Communicative functions:– Main interpersonal (phatic) function

(identities/relationships/community)– Widening? (discussion on a topic?)

Analysing Elisabetta Adami

29:05:08 / IoE

Analysing Elisabetta Adami

comments, remarks, questions, suggestions?

Thank you!

29:05:08 / IoE