Talking 'Like Nastya': Investigating YouTube’s Influence on Language Shift in Bishkek Families

• In Event: Bishkek beyond the Posts: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of the Contemporary City

Abstract

In Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, many adults strongly believe that bloggers on YouTube are causing their children to speak and prefer Russian over their heritage language of Kyrgyz. To investigate this concern, we performed an algorithmic audit of YouTube, creating bots that emulate the way Kyrgyz children interact with the platform and collecting the videos that appeared. We then use 12 months of ethnographic data consisting of participant observation and recordings with Kyrgyz children to demonstrate the links between the content provided and children’s linguistic behavior, arguing that the interactions between children and YouTube’s algorithm have serious implications for language endangerment and shift around the globe.

Author

• Ashley McDermott, U of Michigan