港大中文學院

School of Chinese Scholar Seminar

Louis Cha Lecture Series on Transcultural Fandom Studies

Creators, Fans, and Multilingual Digital Communication on Social Platforms:

Exploring the Pros and Cons of New Multilingual Trends

Abstract:

As tech reporter Taylor Lorenz indicates in her book Extremely Online (2023), the social Internet would not exist without the presence of everyday users who create content. Incidentally, some of the most prolific content creators are those that participate in fan communities, whether they are gamers, avid music listeners, fitness enthusiasts, etc. Some of these creators have ascended to their own fame, becoming influencers in their various fan communities and beyond. This talk examines some of the many intersections between the creator and influencer economies, fandoms and fan communities, and multilingual digital communication (MDC). Many creators have leveraged different forms of MDC to extend their reach, to increase or diversify their monetization strategies, and as a strategy for “discoverability”. Relatedly, companies like Apple and Meta have played a role in making MDC easier for creators, though this also raises some questions. This talk will address recent multilingual features announced at both the Apple fall 2024 launch and the Meta Connect event held this past September and tackle some of the advantages and disadvantages these features and tools pose for the creator economy and the language industry.

About the Speaker:

Renée Desjardins (pronouns: she/her) is an associate professor at the Université de Saint-Boniface in Winnipeg (Treaty 1) and a visiting professor at the McGill University School of Continuing Studies. She is the author of Translation and Social Media: In Theory, in Training, and in Professional Practice (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017) and the co-editor of When Translation Goes Digital: Case Studies and Critical Reflections (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021). Her most recent work examines translation in the creator, influencer, and gig economies. She currently holds two national research grants from the Social Sciences and Research Council of Canada: an Insight grant for a project titled: TikTokers, Instagrammers, Podcasters, Livestreamers - and Translators: Translation in the Creator Economy, and a Connection grant as a team member for the LINET, a French-language research group focused on translator education, translation pedagogy, and new technology.