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- PaperApplied Linguistics26 May 2026
‘I call myself a five (rubbish/loser), but I don’t really want to be’: online identity and translanguaging play in social media
Haowei Luo, Hua Yu
This study examines how Chinese university students on Douban use translanguaging play, including homophonic wordplay on 'five', to negotiate and subvert 'loser' identities. Participants reclaim self-deprecating labels, build solidarity through shared lexicology, and oscillate between embracing and rejecting failure under meritocratic pressures, demonstrating creativity in deploying semiotic resources.
Original abstract
Failure or being a loser are identities not openly recognized or acceptable in a merit-driven society, especially for top university students. This study investigates the role of translanguaging play in negotiating identities related to precarious life experiences within a Chinese online community on Douban. Drawing on discourse-centered online ethnography (DCOE) and Moment Analysis, we explore how ‘loser’ identities are negotiated, destabilized, and subverted through homophonic wordplay on ‘five’. The findings reveal that participants employ translanguaging play to reclaim the ‘five’ label in self-deprecation, develop ‘five lexicology’ to build solidarity, and oscillate between ‘being a five’ and ‘de-fiving’ under meritocratic pressures. These demonstrate participants’ creativity in deploying diverse semiotic resources alongside metalinguistic and genre knowledge. We further argue that psychological distance between named languages itself constitutes a translanguaging resource for identity work, as the affective gap between English five and Chinese fèiwù (rubbish/loser) enables participants to re-represent failure through a register of playful lightness. Translanguaging play thus carves out a safe space in which vulnerability can be voiced, ascribed identities transcended, and resilience cultivated against uncertainty.
- PaperELT Journal25 Apr 2026
Teacher talk on social media: creating space for learning
Melissa Reed, Philip Chappell, Lynda Yates
Analyzed dialogues from a large Facebook group for English language teachers, identifying types of talk that are productive, less productive, or toxic for learning. Offers recommendations, reflective questions, and a model to help teachers and stakeholders understand how social media interactions affect opportunities for learning.
Original abstract
Teachers are increasingly using social media as a form of professional development. Online teachers’ communities can be beneficial for teachers, including the opportunity to self-direct their learning, network with peers without barriers of time and space, and find support. However, we still lack an understanding of how their interactions with others help teachers learn on social media. This article reports on a study in which dialogues from a large Facebook group for English language teachers were analyzed. Different types of talk were identified in the group: talk that was productive, talk that was less productive and talk that was toxic for learning. The concept of dialogic learning frames how teachers co-construct understandings through dialogue, and what actions may enable or constrain learning. Recommendations, reflective questions and a model are provided to assist teachers and other stakeholders to understand how interactions on social media may affect opportunities for learning.