Selected Papers of AoIR 2016:  

The 17th Annual Conference of the  
Association of Internet Researchers 

Berlin, Germany / 5-8 October 2016 
 

 

Suggested(Citation((APA):(Calhoun,(K.((2016,(October(5A8).(Affordances,,Stereotypes,,and,Social,
Critique:,Vine,Racial,Comedy,as,a,Sociopolitical,Discourse,Genre.(Paper(presented(at(AoIR(2016:(The(
17th(Annual(Meeting(of(the(Association(of(Internet(Researchers.(Berlin,(Germany:(AoIR.(Retrieved(from(
http://spir.aoir.org.!
 

AFFORDANCES,!STEREOTYPES,!AND!SOCIAL!CRITIQUE:!VINE!RACIAL!
COMEDY!AS!A!SOCIOPOLITICAL!DISCOURSE!GENRE!
 
Kendra(Calhoun(
University(of(California,(Santa(Barbara(
(
!
Introduction!
Linguistic(research(on(technologicallyAmediated(communication(recognizes(the(myriad(
ways(in(which(technology(can(lead(to(new(forms(of(language(and(discourse.(Early(
research(focused(on(the(structural(features(of(language(perceived(as(unique(to(
computerAmediated(communication(CMC)(such(as(the(use(of(emoticons((Dresner(&(
Herring(2010).(Recent(research(takes(a(discourseAanalytic(approach(that(highlights(how(
“social(practices([such(as(language](that(are(present(in(new(media(technologies(are(
socioculturally(situated(and(embedded(in(existing(social(practices”((Akkaya(2014:(286).(
When(CMC(is(contextualized!as(emerging(from(offline(language(practices,(a(broader(
range(of(analytical(tools(becomes(available(for(a(nuanced(understanding(of(how(
discourse(takes(shape(online.(
(
Media(and(communication(studies(research(has(analyzed(how(the(technological(
affordances((Hutchby(2001)(of(online(platforms(permit(and(restrict(particular(types(of(
interaction(and(content(production.(On(Twitter,(for(example,(users(can(interact(directly(
using(@mentions((Bruns(&(Moe(2014),(but(the(140Acharacter(limit(influences(how(
tweets(are(structured.(Because(each(social(media(platform(has(a(unique(combination(of(
affordances,(research(that(analyzes(discourse(on(individual(platforms(is(needed((cf.(
Thurlow(&(Mroczek(2011),(and(affordances(shared(across(platforms(make(comparative(
research(possible.((
(
Methodology!
This(interdisciplinary(research(analyzes(discourse(on(the(videoAbased(social(media(
platform(Vine.(Although(Vine(has(had(a(meteoric(rise(in(popularity(in(the(U.S.(since(its(
launch(in(January(2013((Friend(2014),(its(relative(newness(leaves(it(less(researched(
than(older(platforms(such(as(YouTube.(Combining(theory(and(methodology(from(
linguistics,(communication(and(media(studies,(and(Black(Studies,(I(examine(how(VineA
specific(affordances(for(video(production(have(led(to(the(creation(of(a(distinct(type(of(
online(video(that(draws(on(particular(offline(discourses.((
(



My(analysis(is(based(on(two(years(of(online(ethnography:(watching(Vine(videos(
(“vines”),(recording(VineAspecific(cultural(and(interactional(practices((e.g.,(popular(
topics,(viewers’(comments),(and(situating(them(within(broader(online(culture(and(offline(
social(practices((cf.(Kozinets(2010).(I(became(familiar(with(the(Vine(platform,(including(
the(“channel”(feature(that(categorizes(vines(based(on(content.(Of(Vine’s(nineteen(
permanent(channels,(“comedy”(is(the(most(popular(—(containing(the(mostAfollowed(
Viners(and(most(frequently(watched(vines(—(and(includes(a(variety(of(topics(and(
comedy(styles.(I(limited(the(scope(of(my(analysis(to(a(single(comedy(Viner,(King(Bach,(
a(28AyearAold(AfricanAAmerican(male(comedian(who(is(the(most(followed(Viner(overall(
(16(million(followers(in(August(2016).((
(
Through(exhaustive(sampling(of(King(Bach’s(vines(posted(between(July(2013(and(
October(2015,(I(found(that(race(was(one(of(the(most(common(topics(in(his(comedy.(I(
created(a(data(set(of(30(vines(with(racial(humor,(and(with(the(“social,(ideological,(and(
politicalAeconomic([connection]”((Briggs(&(Bauman(1992:(147)(of(race(between(them,(I(
analyzed(them(as(a(discourse(genre:(Vine,racial,comedy,(VRC).,In(Bakhtinian(terms,(
Vine(racial(comedy(is(a(“relatively(stable”(type(of(discourse(that(is(“determined(by(the(
specific(nature(of(the(particular(sphere(of(communication”(in(which(it(occurs((1986:(60).(
The(genre(framework(enabled(an(analysis(of(linguistic(and(nonAlinguistic(features(as(
well(as(Vine’s(technological(affordances(as(relevant(to(the(content,(and(it(connected(
King(Bach’s(videos(to(other(online(and(offline(discourse.(
(
Findings!
One(of(the(dominant(features(of(King(Bach’s(VRC(is(characters(constructed(by(auditory(
and(visual(semiotic(features(that(portray(cultural,(racial,(and(linguistic(stereotypes.(
Characters(use(shibboleths(from(ethnoracial(and(regional(linguistic(varieties((e.g.,(gon’,
in,African(American(Vernacular(Englishj(see(Green(2002)j(they(may(be(accompanied(by(
music(with(strong(ideological(associations((e.g.,(rap)j(and(stereotypically(racialized(
dress((e.g.,(white(“prep”(attire)(is(frequent.(The(inclusion(of(stereotypes(in(VRC(is(
influenced(largely(by(Vine’s(affordance(of(a(sixAsecond(time(limit:(Viners(must(portray(
their(ideas(quickly(and(effectively,(which(stereotypes(can(do(since(their(social(meanings(
are(easily(recognizable.(King(Bach’s(inclusion(of(music,(costumes,(multiple(actors,(and(
other(features(are(creative(utilizations(of(Vine’s(other(affordances(to(work(around(the(
length(constraint.((
(
King(Bach’s(VRC(also(shares(features(with(a(broader(popular(subgenre(of(Vine(
comedy,(#relatable,(which(portrays(experiences(from(Viners’(everyday(lives(that(are(
relatable(to(their(viewers((e.g.(embarrassing(parents).(King(Bach’s(“relatable”(content(is(
often(racial(issues(AfricanAAmericans(face(in(the(U.S.(every(day,(such(as(wealth(
disparity((“Broke(on(Black(Friday”)(and(linguistic(and(racial(profiling((“What(THEY(Hear(
When(WE(Talk”).(He(uses(stereotypes(to(critique(the(types(of(people(who(believe(them,(
the(social(phenomena(that(created(them,(or(to(subvert(social(expectations((cf.(Hall,(
Evans,(&(Nixon(2013),(and(by(doing(so(King(Bach(incorporates(generic(features(of(
African(American(standAup(comedy,(which(has(traditionally(challenged(the(sociopolitical(
status(quo(through(critical(engagement(with(cultural(stereotypes((Carpio(2008).(VRC(
has(been(adopted(as(a(genre(by(other(Viners(of(color(who(have(collaborated(with(King(
Bach,(utilizing(Vine’s(affordances(to(address(racial(stereotypes(about(their(own(
ethnoracial(groups.((



(
Conclusion!
Using(social(media(to(address(racial(issues(and(“talk(back”(to(mainstream(
representation(has(become(common(practice(in(recent(years((cf.(Bonilla(&(Rosa(2015),(
and(humor(has(been(used(for(social(critique(in(both(online(and(offline(discourse((cf.(
Calhoun(2016).(Being(videoAbased(rather(than(textAbased(and(having(different(
affordances(from(its(videoAbased(counterpart(YouTube,(Vine(and(the(humor(produced(
on(it(are(distinct(from(other(social(media.(Vine(and(its(affordances(have(created(a(space(
in(which(King(Bach(can(use(comedy(to(direct(his(millions(of(followers(to(sociopolitical(
issues(they(might(otherwise(ignore.(The(success(of(this(endeavor(is(seen(in(the(high(
number(of(views,(likes,(and(shares(on(individual(vines(and(in(his(sustained(position(as(
the(mostAfollowed(Viner.(In(a(society(that(advocates(racial(colorblindness((Wise(2010),(
King(Bach’s(Vine(racial(comedy(is(significant(as(both(an(innovative(online(discourse(
genre(and(a(new(form(of(sociopolitical(critique(on(race.(
!
!
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