Digital Stylistics and Identity Construction: A Stylistic Analysis of Micro‑Narratives On X (Twitter) In Nigerian Digital Discourse

Abstract

This study examines how stylistic strategies shape identity construction and emotional expression in Nigerian micro-narratives on X (Twitter), foregrounding the interplay between language, culture, and digital communication. Given social media’s role embedded in everyday interaction and self-presentation in Nigeria, this study investigates how linguistic and multimodal resources operate within character-limited narrative forms (Igboanusi, 2002; Adegbija, 2004). Adeola (2020), Adegbija (2004), Igboanusi, (2002), among other scholars posit that social media users utilise the creative expressiveness found in styles to criticise governance, facilitate social movements and construct inter-generational identities but have not specifically examined micronarratives on X in Nigerian digital discourse; the gap that this study aims to address. Using a qualitative, multimodal stylistic approach, this article analyses one hundred purposively sampled Nigerian micro-narratives, focusing on lexical choice, figurative language, punctuation, narrative perspective, code-mixing, emojis and hashtags. Findings show that identity is enacted through deliberate lexical selection, code-mixing involving Nigerian Pidgin and indigenous languages, and the deployment of multimodal symbols, which allow complex meaning-making despite brevity constraints (Elugbe & Omamor, 1991; Banjo, 1996). On the other hand, emotional expression is stylised through metaphor, hyperbole, orthographic deviation, prosodic elongation, and visual cues like emojis, which index both collective and individual affective stances in culturally situated ways (Page, 2012; Zappavigna, 2018). The study argues that stylistic resources are creatively exploited by users to negotiate social identities, alignments, and emotional experiences in digital spaces. It concludes that digital discourse offers fertile ground for extending the scope of stylistics beyond traditional literary texts.