How to do things with a keyword: a cross-cultural analysis of the meanings and functions of ‘values’ on Twitter

While people regularly employ the term values in mundane interactions and political debates on social media, little is known about its function in public communication. Approaching values as a keyword in everyday communication, we asked: In what contexts do Twitter users invoke the term values? What discursive functions does the term serve? How do these contexts and functions differ across languages? To address these questions, we analyzed approximately 15 million tweets in five languages (English, German, Italian, Japanese, and Korean), using computational and qualitative methods. We found both cross-cultural differences and universal patterns. Topical contexts varied dramatically by language: in English, German, and Italian, values primarily marked boundaries between political groups, while in Japanese and Korean, it expressed individual preferences and negotiated interpersonal relationships. Across languages, values conveyed a vague sense of the good yet served clear discursive functions–anchoring personal identities and mediating relationships through boundary work. Furthermore, public conversations about values are structured by the tension between two specific values: autonomy and authenticity. Standing by one's values, regardless of content, was valorized, while imposing values on others was condemned. In this way, the term values offers a tool of decontestation that shields claims from criticism. Rather than promoting deliberation over shared conceptions of the good, it maintains existing personal and political boundaries.