“I’m a sweet intertextual”

Abstract

This chapter presents qualitative analysis of examples across five everyday conversations where Millennial friends in their late twenties display their understanding, engagement with, and appreciation of intertextual media references through different displays of listening. In addition to an analysis of how participants engage as listeners with media references is an analysis of playback data with participants which provides insights into their listening behavior. The listening displays analyzed in this study are minimal responses, repetition of a media text, laughter and smiling, and participation in a play frame. This chapter shows that through engaging in a play frame based on media references, participants construct a shared group identity around their shared experience and knowledge of media references. Understanding of displays of shared cultural knowledge in intertextual processes is advanced in this chapter; it also shows how engagement with media references can be used to construct shared group identities.