Stylistic curation: The use of place-based linguistic features in the construction of a personal brand
The curation of ‘personal brands’ on social media raises questions about the role of linguistic style in commodification of the self. In this talk we focus on Sydney Serena, a social media influencer, as she completes high school in Minnesota and moves to Los Angeles. Vowel data from YouTube videos (2016-2019) were analyzed, as well as /r/ in word-initial consonant clusters. Results indicate that Serena produces more California-like vowels over time, and labialized or fricated realizations of cluster /r/ at a rate of 22%. Serena’s vocalic changes occur before she moves to California, suggesting agentive stylistic practice rather than a contact-induced shift. We interpret Serena’s marked production of /r/-clusters as a new sociolinguistic variable and an example of bricolage. Findings indicate that place-based indexicality (e.g. California) reflects an aspirational persona that dominates the influencing industry, regardless of whether the influencer is actually Californian.
