Negotiating multiple audiences of L2 learners on Facebook: navigating parallel realities

• Main Authors: Shafie, Latisha Asmaak, Yaacob, Aizan, Karpal Singh, Paramjit Kaur
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Center of Science and Education 2016
• Subjects: LB2300 Higher Education
• Online Access: http://repo.uum.edu.my/21601/1/IES%209%2010%202016%2095%20104.pdf; http://repo.uum.edu.my/21601/; http://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v9n10p95
• Institution: Universiti Utara Malaysia

As social network sites have become popular with university students, it is easier to understand how students employ social network sites seamlessly in their academic and personal lives. L2 learners often employ Facebook to improve their English language proficiency by communicating with their native and non-native English speakers. Facebook is considered as collapsed contexts where L2 learners navigate with their numerous multiple audiences at the same time.The study investigated the strategies L2 learners negotiate multiple audiences on Facebook.The study employed a qualitative multiple case study of three L2 learners who were Facebook users.The participants’ Facebook accounts were observed for 14 weeks, and they were interviewed using semi-structured interview.The findings of the study suggest that L2 learners use four strategies to navigate their multiple audiences such as participating in closed Facebook group discussions, only commenting on relevant posts, constructing different online identities and choosing the language of the posts and comments depending on the audience.The audience management strategies used by L2 learners are determined by the informants’ personal preferences.