The mainstreamisation of web related vocabulary: “Buzz” and “Trolls” in French media archives

Abstract

Abstract This article analyses the French mainstreamisation process of web related vocabularies through the lens of a collection of archived fragments from national and regional media outlets. A cultural materialist approach is chosen to question the “naturalisation” of a so-called “web language” (langage web) and highlights the role of mediations which help turn once-marginal “jargon” terms into popular digital keywords. This perspective is explored through a diptych of case studies on the discursive journeys of “Buzz” and “Trolls” (1999–2021) using texts and screenshots from Europresse and Internet Archive.