Identity Discourse in ESL Learners' Facebook Writing: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Abstract

The increasing use of social networking sites has reshaped how English as a Second Language (ESL) learners engage in written communication and construct social identities beyond formal educational settings. This study investigates how identity discourse is constructed and negotiated in ESL learners’ Facebook writing through a quantitative, corpus-based approach informed by Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Drawing on Fairclough’s view of discourse as social practice, the study examines the linguistic resources through which learners position themselves, express agency, and align with or resist dominant language ideologies in digitally mediated contexts. The data comprises a self-compiled corpus of approximately 100,000 words of naturally occurring Facebook posts and comments produced by 150 ESL learners over six months. Identity discourse was operationalized into quantifiable linguistic categories, including self-referential markers, stance and evaluative features, interactional elements, and code-switching practices. These features were systematically coded and normalized, and statistical analyses were conducted using descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, correlation, and regression analyses. The findings reveal that ESL learners employ a range of discursive strategies to construct both individual and collective identities, frequently negotiating competence, belonging, and visibility through language choice. Quantitative patterns further indicate significant variation in identity construction across gender, proficiency levels, and academic status. Interpreted through a CDA lens, these patterns reflect the influence of broader ideologies related to English proficiency, native-speaker norms, and digital power relations. By integrating quantitative corpus analysis with critical discourse perspectives, this study contributes methodologically to applied linguistics and offers empirical insights into identity construction in ESL learners’ social media writing. The findings have implications for understanding learner agency, digital literacies, and identity formation in contemporary second language contexts.