Drama, dialogicity and personalization in the circulation of a viral TikTok story: a narrative-as-practice approach to online retellings

Abstract

The sharing and retelling of stories plays an important role in the circulation of viral online discourses; yet, there exists relatively little research on online retellings. Drawing on a narrative-as-practice approach (De Fina, 2021), we analyze seven YouTubers’ retellings of a viral TikTok story to demonstrate how these stories are shaped by their embedding within online environments defined by the need to create and maintain participation and engagement as a basis for popularity and monetization. Given the processes of production and reception that are characteristic of such environments, our analysis focuses on the linguistic and multimodal strategies that YouTubers deploy to make their own renderings of other people’s stories engaging and attractive for viewers. We find that YouTubers dramatize the story by presenting themselves as if in dialogue with the original storytellers and characters, often by using a method we call “showing and speaking” (i.e. playing the original video then providing commentary), and by taking up highly affective stances through their use of camera zoom, facial expressions, and other linguistic and multimodal resources. The YouTubers also personalize their retellings by revealing details about their lives to viewers and by relating their experiences to events that take place in the story. In our analysis of the comments, we find the YouTubers’ uses of such strategies for dramatization and personalization are taken up as indicative of their storytelling styles, which in turn seem to contribute to their ability to grow and sustain large followings online. Our study contributes to research on the circulation of stories across multiple platforms and to our understanding of how storytelling styles are constructed and received online.