Language, Trauma, and Power Relations in Narratives of Bullying in Online Media

Abstract

This study explores traumatic experiences experienced during school through personal narratives shared online, focusing on how these experiences are remembered and retold after graduation. The study raises two questions: How are traumatic experiences during school represented through language in interactions with teachers and friends? And how do ideational processes reveal alumni's position as victims or perpetrators, and the power relations that emerge in the narratives? This qualitative study uses narrative inquiry, combined with Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), to examine the meaning of language, social relations, and the construction of experiences in the narratives. Data were obtained from written narratives by Quora users who recounted their traumatic experiences during school, both with teachers and friends. Thematic analysis was used to identify patterns of meaning and social interactions in the narratives, including material, mental, behavioral, verbal, relational, and existential processes. The results show that traumatic experiences are exposed through physical actions, feelings, speech, and social judgments. The narratives also reveal the long-term impact of trauma on memories, emotions, and how alumni cope with these memories. This study expands the study of trauma linguistics by presenting personal narratives from online sources, providing insights into how trauma is constructed and interpreted outside of the formal school context.