“Elmo, I’m Not OK”: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Trauma Dumping on Twitter Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

“Trauma dumping” as a term has been in use for a number of years in the Anglophone world, particularly amongst internet users on social media platforms. However, it has seldom been studied as a bonafide linguistic and cultural phenomenon. The term rose to mainstream use at the end of January 2024 after a storm of Twitter replies to Sesame Street star Elmo were labelled as such. This thesis aims to explore trauma dumping as a concept as well as examine its specific role in the interactions between Elmo and Twitter users. Firstly, trauma dumping was broken down structurally into two main components. This structural claim was then used in conjunction with a corpus-based discourse studies methodology and thematic analysis in order to both examine the exact manifestations of trauma dumping in the dataset as well as the way it presents itself in virtual interactions. The broader sociocultural context and implications were also discussed, questioning the purity of trauma dumping as an independent behavior and its role in combination with other social behaviors in a virtual context. It was found that trauma dumping has largely evolved from its canonical form observed back in 2020. It demonstrates the process of enregisterment and commodification of language, as well as a larger theme within internet users regarding the collective evaluation of the state of the world. This study hopes to expand on the linguistic features of online interactions as well as the intertwining of language and culture as we move through a post-modern virtual society.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction & Literature Review.......................................................................................1

1.1 Introduction................................................................................................................................1

1.2 Literature Review.........................................................................................................................3

1.3 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................32

Chapter 2: The Structure of Trauma Dumping....................................................................................35

2.1 Introduction...............................................................................................................................35

2.2 Components of Trauma Dumping................................................................................................39

2.3 Conventions of Interaction & Trauma Dumping...........................................................................43

2.4 Conclusion................................................................................................................................44

Chapter 3: Thematic Analysis Methodology.......................................................................................46

3.1 Introduction..............................................................................................................................46

3.2 Themes and Operational Definitions...........................................................................................47

3.3 Preliminary Observations..........................................................................................................53

3.4 Conclusion................................................................................................................................56

Chapter 4: Conversation Analysis.....................................................................................................57

4.1 Introduction..............................................................................................................................57

4.2 Conversation Analysis Methods...................................................................................................57

4.3 Dataset and Canonical Trauma Dumping.....................................................................................64

4.4 Relationship-Building & Familiarizers.........................................................................................71

4.5 Conclusion................................................................................................................................75

Chapter 5: Sociocultural Analysis......................................................................................................77

5.1 Introduction...............................................................................................................................77

5.2 Parasocial Relationships & Trauma Dumping................................................................................77

5.3 Who actually is the listener?........................................................................................................80

5.4 Social Media, Virality, & (the Illusion of) Authenticity...................................................................84

5.5 Trauma as Culturally Significant .................................................................................................86

5.6 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................92

Chapter 6: Conclusion......................................................................................................................93

6.1 Discussion.................................................................................................................................93

6.2 Implications & Applications .......................................................................................................94

6.3 Limitations................................................................................................................................96

6.4 Future Directions........................................................................................................................97

6.5 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................99

Bibliography..................................................................................................................................100

About this Honors Thesis

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• Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.

School	Emory College
Department	Linguistics
Degree	B.S.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Anthropology, Cultural Sociology, Sociolinguistics
Keyword	Discourse Analysis Virtual Culture Social Media Cultural Studies Trauma Dumping Discourse Studies
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Erica R. Britt, Emory University
Committee Members	Erica Kanesaka, Emory University Brianna L. Yamasaki, Emory University

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