The linguistic marketplace of YouTube language influencers

This paper explores YouTube Language Influencers (YTLIs) in the online linguistic marketplace. Utilizing Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of linguistic capital and the linguistic marketplace, it investigates how YTLIs assert power and convert linguistic capital into economic and social gains. Through critical discourse analysis, the study examines the discursive strategies of YTLIs, focusing on symbolic imagery, persuasive language, and indexical markers. Findings reveal that YTLIs leverage national and cultural symbols, educational imagery, emotive content, and native accents to enhance their authority and marketability, thereby influencing linguistic and cultural norms. The research underscores the significant role of YTLIs in shaping digital language learning environments and highlights the complex interplay of power dynamics and capital conversion within these online spaces. Understanding these dynamics helps us foster informed media consumption, promotes access to reliable linguistic resources, and reveals the socio-economic impacts of digital influence on cultural and educational practices.