Event Details
- Speaker: Ashley McDermott, Doctoral Candidate, Linguistic Anthropology, University of Michigan
- Event Series: Anthropology Colloquium
- Date: Thursday, December 4
- Time: 3 p.m.
- Location: Gambrell 431
- Host: Department of Anthropology, University of South Carolina
Abstract
This talk examines how children in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, are socialized through global networks where algorithms play a crucial role in shaping linguistic practices. Although Kyrgyz appears vibrant by standard measures, many adults fear their children prefer Russian and blame Russian-language YouTube content.
Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data from multiple sites of socialization, Ashley McDermott shows that perceived language shift emerges from content reaching children via digital infrastructure, face-to-face interactions, and schools. Focusing on in-home routines and YouTube use, she asks how YouTube’s recommendation algorithm influences language socialization and may contribute to language shift.
She argues that while sociolinguistic pressures encourage children’s preference for Russian, their everyday use of the language is reinforced by algorithmically provided content. Understanding children’s linguistic practices thus requires tracing diverse communication channels—from offline home and school interactions to online connections with YouTube’s algorithm and distant Instagram influencers, with algorithms now integral to global socialization networks affecting language shift.
Speaker Bio
Ashley McDermott is a Doctoral Candidate in Linguistic Anthropology at the University of Michigan. She earned a BA in Political Science and Applied Anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and an MA in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Her research interests include language socialization and language shift, language planning and policy, language and identity, and the anthropology of childhood.