NOTICE OF THESIS EXAM LOUIS FERNANDES

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NOTICE OF THESIS EXAM

 

LOUIS FERNANDES  

202200010013

 

 

JULY 13, 2026, 13:00 PM

Building C, 7th fl., Room: C706

 

Adviser           : Dr. Anna Marietta da Silva

Examiners     : Prof. Christine Manara, Ph.D. & Ekarina, Ph.D.

 

Title

TRANSLANGUAGING PRACTICES AND AGENCY WITHIN THE BDSM COMMUNITY ON PLATFORM X

ABSTRACT

This study aims to examine how BDSM practitioners use translanguaging as a linguistic strategy to deepen role enactment and achieve satisfaction for both Dominant and Submissive participants in their interactions on the social media platform X. Translanguaging is adopted as an agentive strategy, demonstrated through the use of jargon, registers, language mixing, and semiotic elements as the single package in communication (Canagarajah, 2011; Garcia & Li, 2014; Li, 2018, 2022). According to Bandura (1960), agency is the capacity to make decisions based on the ability to overcome specific obstacles. Wischert (2024) states that agency in BDSM play enables practitioners to be more creative in achieving sexual satisfaction. Payton (2025) also reveals that they can establish boundaries to ensure safety through the use of safewords. This research utilizes a qualitative netnographic approach, collecting data from the social media platform X over a 1-year period (January 2024 to 2025) by selecting accounts that actively represent the BDSM community. The findings reveal five forms of translanguaging: code-switching, BDSM-specific registers or jargon, semiotic or multimodal items (such as emojis), the use of hashtags, and lexical or slang innovations (such as the terms “Ropecation” or “Ughtea”). Additionally, both enduring and in-game agency are expressed through these language choices: dominant agency, submissive agency, collective agency, creative agency, and protective agency. Previous studies have focused on translanguaging and agency separately on social media and have not specifically addressed the BDSM community. Furthermore, Translanguaging was previously viewed merely as a communication strategy for clarifying meaning. However, this study concludes that translanguaging is intentionally chosen and driven by agency to achieve sexual desire outcomes within BDSM play.

Keywords : Translanguaging, Agency, BDSM, Social media, X