Mads Turner

Us vs. They/Them: Establishing Identity on r/GenderCritical

Advisor: David Brown
Major: Linguistics
Minor: Language Tech

Abstract

This study will examine the construction of personal and adversarial identity on the transphobic subreddit r/GenderCritical, utilizing interdisciplinary approaches from linguistics, rhetoric and natural language processing  to improve understanding of how online transphobic hate speech functions. I will utilize topic modeling (BERTopic) to compare in-group identifying language with out-group identifying language and categorize common themes of discussion, as well as Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) to score the topics for features such as emotion, certainty and morality. To complement these approaches, I will also perform discourse and apparaisal analyses of small post samples to provide a qualitiative look at the research questions. The results of this research will improve understanding of transphobic hate speech, its relationship to identity and the underlying narratives that contribue to the continued marginalization of the trans community, ultimately contributing to the field of content moderation and hate speech detection. 

Bio

I'm Mads, a linguistics major and language tech minor. My research interestes include queer linguistics, moral panics and the use of identity-based language in communities of practice. I love learning about how we construct identities for ourselves and the people around us in different social contexts. Outside of work and resarch, I spend my time playing euphonium in the CMU Kiltie Band, knitting feverishly while watching video essays, and petting my friends' cats.