Sojourners Online: Social Media and Online Communication as a Data Source in Study Abroad Research

Abstract

This chapter emphasizes the extent to which sojourners’ lives abroad are now also lived online and the need to further incorporate this reality into L2 SAR. Discussion of key research on online communication in L2 SAR follows, with a focus on the opportunities and challenges associated with the collection, analysis, and (re)use of this data. The discussion covers the communicative and indexical affordances offered by online platforms, and the opportunities this creates to bring a range of theoretical perspectives to bear on the data, providing insights into both the objective and subjective nature of language learning abroad. Theoretical considerations such as the multimodality of online data, context-collapse, audience design, translanguaging, and online identities are also addressed. Finally, the chapter offers practical ways researchers could use this data before proposing several promising areas for future investigation and providing an overview of recommendations.