Slang Formation and Usage in VTuber Communities on Reddit

Authors

  • Byvan Quai Alkana Universitas Airlangga; Indonesia
  • Bagaskara Wijayakusuma Universitas Airlangga; Indonesia
  • Pratista Shafa Brillian Universitas Airlangga; Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37680/lingua_franca.v5i1.8872

Keywords:

Digital Ethnography, Community, Slang, VTuber

Abstract

This research aims to analyze VTuber community slang on Reddit utilizing digital ethnography. Specifically, this research aims to examine the formation and use of slang in VTuber communities. This research employs a qualitative descriptive approach and purposive sampling. The data were collected from posts and comments on two subreddits, r/kurosanji and r/VirtualYoutubers, in text form. The data analysis was conducted utilizing Allan and Burridge’s slang theory. The researcher finds that the VTubers community utilized four categories of slang: acronym, clipping, flippant, and fresh and creative. Clipping, fresh, and creative are the most commonly used VTuber community slang, while acronym and flippant are the least used. The slang was used to create a sense of identity among VTubers. It is also used to label and offend members of VTuber subreddits and other groups. It also serves as a quick communication between members. This research contributes to the development of digital ethnography and further research regarding the VTuber community and its slang.

References

Andrade, C. (2020). The Inconvenient Truth About Convenience and Purposive Samples. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 43(1), 86–88. https://doi.org/10.1177/0253717620977000

Aolia, F., & Widianingtyas, N. (2024). Online Persona of Vtuber “Ayunda Risu Ch”: Sociolinguistic Study. Primacy: Journal of English Education and Literacy, 3(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.33592/primacy.v3i1.3497

Bredikhina, L. (2025). Tensions and Contestations in VTuber Circles: The “MetaBirthday” Project and/as Self-formation. Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus, 23, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1017/apj.2025.7

Chen, M., & Hu, R. J. (2024). The Host in the Shell: Constructing Female Identity in the Embodied Animated Media. New Media & Society, 27(6), 3429–3448.

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2023). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (Sixth). SAGE Publications, Inc.

Johnson, R. B., & Christensen, L. (2020). Educational Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Approaches (Seventh). SAGE Publications, Inc.

Kim, H., & Suh, J. (2024). Big Data Analysis of ‘VTuber’ Perceptions in South Korea: Insights for the Virtual YouTuber Industry. Journalism and Media, 5(4), 1723–1748. https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia5040105

Kuckartz, U., & Rädiker, S. (2023). Qualitative Content Analysis: Methods, Practice and Software (Second). SAGE Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.4135/9781036212940

Li, Y. (2023). Why does Gen Z Watch Virtual Streaming VTube Anime Videos on Twitch with Avatars? Online Media and Global Communication, 2(3), 379–403. https://doi.org/10.1515/omgc-2023-0030

McCambridge, J., Witton, J., & Elbourne, D. R. (2014). Systematic Review of the Hawthorne Effect: New Concepts are Needed to Study the Effects of Research Participation. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 67(3), 267–277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2013.08.015

Ochiai, K., & Niiyama, S. (2025). Discourse Analysis of “just chatting” Streams on YouTube Live: Focusing on the Interaction between Virtual YouTubers and Viewers. Journal of Japanese Linguistics, 41(2), 299–328. https://doi.org/10.1515/jjl-2025-2014

Paoli, A. D., & D’Auria, V. (2021). Digital Ethnography: A Systematic Literature Review. Italian Sociological Review, 11, 243–267. https://doi.org/10.13136/isr.v11i4S.434

Rose, H., McKinley, J., & Baffoe-Djan, J. B. (2020). Data Collection Research Methods in Applied Linguistics (First). Bloomsbury Publishing.

Salieva, D., Dzheenbaeva, K.-M., Kyzy, M. B., Askarov, U., & Kyzy, E. A. (2025). The Use of English Slang by the Younger Generation Across Various Media. Dragoman, 2025(18), 97–117. https://doi.org/10.63132/ati.2025.theuse.35665504

Salsabila, S. A., & Imperiani, E. D. A. (2023). An Indonesian VTuber Uses Code-Switching and Code-Mixing on YouTube. 11(2), 66–74. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.17509/psg.v11i2.56468

Subramaniam, T., & Thangavelu, M. (2025). Exploring The Use of Digitalised Slang in Verbal Communication Among Generation Alpha. Journal of Cultural Analysis and Social Change, 10(3), 236–243. https://doi.org/10.64753/jcasc.v10i3.2401

Svensberg, K., Kalleberg, B. G., Mathiesen, L., Andersson, Y., Rognan, S. E., & Sporrong, S. K. (2021). The Observer effect in a Hospital Setting - Experiences from the Observed and the Observers. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 17(12), 2136–2144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2021.07.011

Tan, Y. H., & Greene, B. R. (2025). Can a 2D Shark Girl be an Influencer? Uncovering Prevailing Archetypes in the Virtual Entertainer Industry. Journal of Business Research, 186, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114951

Wedananta, K. A., Padmadewi, N. N., Artini, L. P., & Budasi, I. G. (2023). Slang Words Used by Balinese Generation Z in Instagram Communication. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 13(8), 2097–2106. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1308.26

Downloads

Published

2026-01-17

How to Cite

Alkana, B. Q., Wijayakusuma, B., & Brillian, P. S. (2026). Slang Formation and Usage in VTuber Communities on Reddit. Lingua Franca, 5(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.37680/lingua_franca.v5i1.8872

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2026): Bahasa dan Sastra

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Byvan Quai Alkana, Bagaskara Wijayakusuma, Pratista Shafa Brillian

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Lingua Franca: Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastraallow the author(s) to hold the copyright without restrictions and allow the author(s) to retain publishing rights without restrictions, also the owner of the commercial rights to the article is the author.

License:

  • Attribution: You must provide an appropriate name, include a link to the license, and certify that changes have been made. You can do this in an appropriate manner, but do not imply that the licensor supports you or your use.
  • Share Alike: If you compose or make derivatives of these materials, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original materials.
  • No additional restrictions: You may not use legal provisions or technological means of control that legally restrict others from doing the things this license allows.

You are free to:

  • Share, copy, and redistribute this material in any form or format.
  • Adapt, modify, and create derivatives of this material for any purpose, including commercial purposes.
  • The licensor cannot revoke the above terms as long as you comply with the terms of this license.

Lisensi Creative Commons

Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).