Metapragmatic Discourse and the Construction of Authentic and Expert Voices in Influencer Eco-vlogging
Metapragmatic Discourse and the Construction of Authentic and Expert Voices in Influencer Eco-vlogging

Summary/Abstract: This study explores how eco-influencers on YouTube use metapragmatic utterances to construct authenticity and expertise in their performance of eco-activism. Drawing on ecolinguistics and Positive Discourse Analysis (Stibbe 2018, 2021), the paper examines a dataset of lifestyle vlogs through a metapragmatic lens (Hübler & Bublitz 2007), focusing on how reflexive language practices help influencers manage tensions between activist values and the commercial logic of influencer culture. Findings show that authenticity is not a fixed attribute of discourse but a performative and interactional achievement, constructed through disclaimers, strategic self-disclosure, and reflexive framing. In confessional vlogs, vulnerability and imperfection are foregrounded to foster audience intimacy, while in reaction or rant videos, metapragmatic utterances serve to manage tone, controversy, and audience expectations. Influencers position themselves as “experts by experience”, legitimising their expression through personal narratives rather than institutional authority. Overall, metapragmatic discourse emerges as a key resource that enables influencers to engage in a form of eco-activism that is contextsensitive, dialogic, and grounded in everyday consumer practices. The study contributes to understanding how digital eco-activism can empower audiences and promote sustainable values, suggesting that small-scale, individual lifestyle choices have the potential to generate broader social change.

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