From dialogue to monologue: a discourse analysis of relational communication on YouTube

This article examines the impact of YouTube on relational communication, emphasizing the platform’s role in reshaping dialogic interaction into predominantly monologic forms. Drawing on sociopragmatics and digital discourse studies, the analysis demonstrates how YouTube’s technological features and algorithmic logic privilege content production, visibility, and audience reach over reciprocal exchange. While traditional models of communication rely on dialogue to sustain relationships, YouTube fosters modes of engagement that are largely one-directional, positioning creators as performers and audiences as passive or minimally interactive participants. The article does not rely on predefined corpus; instead, it provides illustrative online examples accessed through direct links to highlight relevant practices. The study concludes that YouTube generates two primary types of digital monologue: the construction of discursive identity, through which creators strategically craft and project their personas, and the simulation of interaction, in which communicative cues imitate reciprocity without achieving genuine conversation. By delineating these forms, the article highlights how YouTube redefines identity, authenticity, and relational practices in the contemporary digital landscape.