Issue 12 – July 2026Logos et Littera – Journal of Interdisciplinary Approaches to TextISSN: 2336-9884 doi: 10.31902/LL.12.2026.4 © The AuthorMultimodality in Social Media Discourse: An Evaluation of Selected Tweets on Ololade AsakeAdefila Adebola3, Kwara State University, Malete, NigeriaMariam Olugbodi4, Kwara State University, Malete, NigeriaIfe Ajepe5, Afe-Babalola University, Ekiti, NigeriaAbstract: The popularity of the social media in the twenty-first century cannot be underestimated because Social Media Discourse SMD accommodates multimodal linguistic features which are eye-catchy, engaging, and appealing and which enhance the users’ experiences. The aim of this study was to examine how the use of multimodal linguistic features reflects public perceptions of the Nigerian-born Afro-beat hip-hop artiste, Ololade Asake, and his artistic manifestations through his costumes and music. Using the Digital Multimodal Discourse framework, ten tweets on Ololade Asake and his music were analysed. The study found that social actors deploy a confluence of multimodal strategies including texts in form of standard and non-standard language use, images, postures, gestures, animation and emoticons. The study also reveals that emoticons with distinct positive interpretations are employed by the social actors and fans as multimodal strategies to express themselves accurately and adequately, reflecting their sense of identification with the artiste. The study concludes that the social media is a creative platform, where language is used and meaning is constructed, conveyed and interpreted through the deployment of different multimodal strategies to convey multiple shades of meaning.Keywords: Popular Culture, Multimodality, Social Media Discourse, Digital Multimodal Discourse Analysis, Ololade Asake1. IntroductionDespite the growing influence of social media on public discourse, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding of how multimodal elements in online platforms shape public opinion and perception of celebrities, particularly in the context of Nigerian music. Existing studies which deploy the Multimodal Discourse Approach for the analysis of Tweets, online fan discourse and sentiments on X include Kress and van Leeuwen’s (2001) work entitled: Multimodal Discourse: The Modes and Media of Contemporary Communication. In this study, Kress and van Leeuwen provided a foundational understanding of multimodal discourse, emphasising the importance of analysing multiple modes in communication. Jewitt and Oyama (2001) adopted a social semiotic approach to evaluate visual meaning in communication. Sam (2023) also adopted the multimodal discourse approach for the evaluation of selected branded campaign vehicles for 2023 General election in Nigeria with the view to examine how politicians use language to appeal to the electorates. This study is a departure from the studies cited above. This study seeks to explore the impact of social media frames using multimodal resources to convey public perceptions on celebrities, with a focus on a Nigerian Afro-beat hip-hop artiste, Ololade Asake.Ololade Asake, a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer, whose stage name is Asake, gained widespread recognition in 2022 with his music style, a blend of Afrobeats, Fuji and Amapiano. 3 ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6113-7979; email: adebolaadefila0720@gmail.com. 4 ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5027-6644; email: mariam.gobir@kwasu.edu.ng. 5 ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8675-7914; email: ifeajepe@abuad.edu.ng. 28
Logos et Littera – Journal of Interdisciplinary Approaches to Text ISSN: 2336-9884 Issue 12 – July 2026 10.31902/LL.12.2026.4 © The AuthorHis lyrics mostly focus on love, relationships and street life. Asake’s unique sound and energetic live performances have endeared him to fans across Africa and beyond. Asake became known beyond the shores of Nigeria in 2023 when he sold out 20,000 audience capacity at the O2 Arena in London and band 19,000 audience capacity in Barkley Hall in New York (Obed 2024). In spite of Asake’s popularity, evidence in literature has revealed that there has not been a rigorous multimodal discourse analysis on the creative representations of Ololade Asake by social actors on the social media to reveal the ways by which social actors construct meaning and shape public perception of this persona and his music. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate selected tweets on Ololade Asake, through the lens of the Multimodal Discourse Approach MDA, exploring the various ways in which fans deploy multiple modes on X, to construct meaning, express their identities, and engage with the artiste and his music using different social frames. The study sets out to answer the questions: what are the features of multimodality in the selected tweets on Ololade Asake? How are the multimodal strategies used in the selected tweets by fans to express their perceptions and identities in relation to Asake? 2. Material and MethodsMultimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA), which serves as the conceptual foundation for this study is an interdisciplinary field that involves the study of communication through the integration of multiple modes, such as language, images, sounds, and gestures. According to Jewitt and Oyama (2001), MDA examines how meaning is made in relation to the visual, aural, and spatial aspects of communicative modes, often alongside language. To Kress and Jewitt (2003), MDA helps language users to create meaning in from the semiotic resources or modes used in communicative events, which include language, gesture, images, objects, music and space. In the same light, Jewitt (2009) defines MDA as an analytic method that takes into account a range of communicative modes including language, gesture, image, sound, and music. It is a method designed to explore the resources deployed in different communicative events and how they contribute to the overall communicative goals. Like Jewitt and Oyama (2001), Kress and Jewitt (2003), and Jewitt (2009), Toole’s (2009) definition of MDA uncovers how semiotic modes – image, writing, layout and sound – interact in the production of a text. Lastly, David Machin and Andrea Mayr (2012) Multimodal analysis is an approach to communication which focuses on how different semiotic modes such as talk, writing, image and moving image -- are used together to produce meaning. With the rise of digital media, MDA has expanded to include the analysis of multimodal texts in digital environments. This involves studying how modes are combined in websites, social media, video games, and other digital platforms. Approaches to MDA include: Digital Multimodal Discourse Analysis DMDA, Systemic Functional Multimodal Discourse Analysis SF-MDA, Social Semiotic Approach SSA, Interactional Multimodal Discourse Analysis IMDA, Ethnographic Multimodal Discourse Analysis EMDA, and the Cognitive-Functional Multimodal Discourse Analysis CF-MDA. DMDA is an interdisciplinary approach which focuses on the analysis of digital texts, considering how modes such as text, image, and sound interact in online environments. It investigates the unique characteristics of digital multimodal communication, including hyper-textuality, interactivity, and the use of emojis or memes. SF-MDA was a joint effort of Halliday (1978), Kress and van Leeuwen (2006), o‘Halloran (2004), Unsworth, and Rose. This approach focuses on the social functions of different modes and how they contribute to meaning. It also examines the role of modes in realizing social semiotic functions, considering how choices in different modes contribute to the overall meaning of a text.29
Logos et Littera – Journal of Interdisciplinary Approaches to Text ISSN: 2336-9884 Issue 12 – July 2026 10.31902/LL.12.2026.4 © The AuthorSSA Developed from the principles of semiotics and influenced by previous works of Halliday’s (1978), Systemic Functional Linguistics, and Kress and van Leeuwen’s (2001) multimodality perspectives (van Leeuwen 2005). To Kress and Van Leeuwen (2001), Semiotic resources are the tools and modes available for communication. Kress (2010) differentiates between semiotic resources based on design and choice. He states that design refers to the intentional selection and arrangement of semiotic resources to achieve communicative goals. Choice on the other hand, highlights the agency of individuals in selecting resources from available options. Like SSA, IMDA studies face-to-face interaction and how multimodal resources contribute to communication in real-life settings. It analyses the co-ordination and sequencing of different modes in interaction, studying how participants use gestures, gaze, and other non-verbal elements alongside spoken language (Mondada 2007).EMDA is an approach that combines ethnographic methods with multimodal discourse analysis to study communication practices in their natural social and cultural contexts (Scollon and Scollon 2003). This approach emphasises the importance of understanding the situated use of multiple semiotic modes (such as language, gestures, images, and spatial arrangements) as they occur in everyday life (Hammersley & Atkinson, 2007). CF-MDA is a cognitive linguistics approach which focuses on the relationship between language and the mind, examining how language reflects and shapes our cognitive processes, such as perception, attention, and memory. CF-MDA draws on principles from cognitive linguistics, which explores how language reflects cognitive processes such as conceptualisation, categorisation, and metaphorical thinking (Evans and Green 2006).This discussion so far centers on a brief review on Multimodal Discourse Analysis and its approaches, providing a succinct explanation of the approaches to multimodal discourse analysis. Of the MDA approaches discussed, the conceptual framework for this study is the Digital Multimodal Discourse Analysis DMDA. Therefore, the data for this study will adopt the tool kits of the approach for the analysis of the selected tweets on Ololade Asake.2.1 Digital Multimodal Discourse AnalysisDigital Multimodal Discourse Analytical approach (DMDA), is a relatively new approach to multimodal discourse studies which studies digital experiences of users, especially how users depend on intermediating technologies to communicate and connect with others, and to organise themselves for joint action (Vásquez and Chovanec 2025). DMDA is situated within the larger communicative practices informed by multicultural discourses and it uses social semiotics to evaluate how visual and linguistic resources are exploited on social media platforms to communicate meaning (Simungala, Jimaima and Nkhata 2025). Simungala et al. (2025) emphasise the peculiarity of the application of the DMDA approach to the analysis of social media-oriented data. They state that the various modes and resources deployed in a Digital Multimodal Discourse Analysis of social media language use include translanguaged texts, images and pictures, emojis and emoticons, social actions, current and historical events, space and place, all of which are used together by social actors to make meaning.According to Vásquez and Chovanec (2025), Digital Multimodal Discourse Analysis have three goals: first is the consideration of multilingual, multimodal multi-semiotic data, investigation of the clear connections between theoretical approaches and actual analysis of linguistic material and the discussion of issues that have been at the periphery of linguistic research such as creativity, playfulness and humour. These scholars also identify the three predominant themes of Digital Multimodal Discourse Analysis as: user engagement, multimodal communication, and online activism. The current study adopts the 30
Logos et Littera – Journal of Interdisciplinary Approaches to Text ISSN: 2336-9884 Issue 12 – July 2026 10.31902/LL.12.2026.4 © The AuthorDMDA approach for the evaluation of selected tweets on Ololade Asake due to the peculiarity of this approach for the attainment of a detailed analysis of social media-oriented discourse.2.2 Existing studiesA number of studies exist which adopt the multimodal discourse approach for the investigation of different categories of data set. Among such studies are Attah, Ugwu and Saad (2025), Sagala, Rezeki and Amrullah (2026), Masinadiong and Baradillo (2025), Pellizeri (2026) and Apata (2026). While Attah, Ugwu and Saad (2025) carried out a multimodal discourse analysis of images and memes drawn from two Nigerian dailies, the Punch Newspaper and the Vanguard newspapers using Kress and Van Leeuwen’s (2006) Visual Grammar Design Theory, Sagala, Rezeki and Amrullah (2026) studied how the hashtag, #KaburAjaDulu, functions as multimodal semiotic resources that construct meaning through the interaction of text, image, and affect in digital discourse among Indonesian netizens.Also, Masinadiong and Baradillo (2025) carried out a qualitative study to evaluate the use of various communication modes in Philippine newspaper coverage of the war on drugs with the objectives of identifying the linguistic organization of the various communication modes and examining how the modes present the merits and demerits of war on drugs from the perspective of Filipino readers. In this study, the scholars adopt Kress and van Leeuwen’s (2006) theory on multimodality as analytical framework. Pellizeri (2026) investigated the modes for constructing glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) on TikTok using a corpus-assisted multimodal discourse approach to analyse 100 English-language videos hash-tagged #glp1. Apata (2026) explored the relationship between digital discourse and multimodal meaning-making with the aim of evaluating their significance for twenty-first-century language learning. Specifically, the study evaluates the impact of multimodes including emojis, GIFs, memes, podcasts, video interactions, and virtual realities, on the flexibility of language skills acquisition. The similarity among the present study and the aforementioned studies lies in their exploration of the use of multimodal features of language for meaning making. However, the present study differs from the earlier studies based on the scope of data and methods of analysis. While Attah, Ugwu and Saad (2025) and Masinadiong and Baradillo (2025) explored multimodality in Nigerian and Philippine dailies through the application of Kress and Van Leeuwen’s (2006) Visual Grammar Design Theory, and Pellizeri (2026) examined a Tiktok video using the corpus-assisted multimodal discourse analytical approach, the present study evaluates a data set selected from a social media handle, X specifically on a notable Nigerian artiste with a global recognition in 2023, Ololade Asake, using an approach to multimodal discourse analysis— the Digital Multimodal Discourse Analytical approach, to evaluate how multimodal strategies are used by netizens in the selected tweets to express their perceptions and identities in relation to the artiste.3. Research DesignThis research adopted the descriptive design and a qualitative method. The research solely centered on the multimodal discourse analysis of selected tweets on Ololade Asake with the aim examining how the use of multimodal linguistic features (image, colour, texts and emoticons) has reflected public perceptions of the Nigerian-born Afro-beat hip-hop artiste, Ololade Asake, and his artistic manifestations through his costumes and music. To achieve the aim of the study, ten (10) tweets on Ololade Asake 31
Logos et Littera – Journal of Interdisciplinary Approaches to Text ISSN: 2336-9884 Issue 12 – July 2026 10.31902/LL.12.2026.4 © The Authorwere purposively selected on the space of X based on the number of likes the tweets attracted and the positive comments by social actors specifically about the artiste and his music. This research adopts the Digital Multimodal Discourse Analytical DMDA approach for the analysis of the data for this study.4. ResultsUsing the Digital Multimodal Discourse Analytical approach, hyper-textuality and intertextuality, interactivity (liking, sharing, commenting), the use of emojis and memes as elements of DMDA) are analysed in this section. Figure 1: datum one Figure 2: datum two In the tweets above, the elements of interactivity are embedded in the texts, the image and the comment. In Figure 1, the text is Asake has 8 spots on today’s Spotify top 50 most played songs in the last 24 hours in NG, more than any other artist. The clout himself… (image of a crown). To interact with other social actors, the tweeter made use of words, numbers and emojis. The text contains the name of the persona, Asake‘, and repetition of the words, “spots” and “spotify” as well as the numbers “8” and “24”. The name is to give the readers adequate description of the subject matter. This post had a total of four comments, ninety-six reposts, a thousand and one likes, and thirteen thousand engagements by the public. The emoji (crown) in this text corroborates the text describing Asake as the king. The emoji is also used to iconise the subject as a king. The use of “8”, “50” and “24” is to emphasise, give credence, solidify the claim of the social actor.In the image inserted in the text above, carefully observing the image, it is obvious that the image inserted is totally in sync with the text. The facial expression of Asake in the image above clearly express 32
Logos et Littera – Journal of Interdisciplinary Approaches to Text ISSN: 2336-9884 Issue 12 – July 2026 10.31902/LL.12.2026.4 © The Authorthat of one who had given a blow with the hand‘ (clout), also the sitting posture of subject matter is like that of an actual “king‘ with the helmet which indicates the “crown” of a king, likewise, looking closely in the picture he is holding in the image, he put on a smile like that of one who has Won. Also, on the jacket he is wearing in the image, two words written on it are “drift king” and VB power, which adds to the meaning of the whole text and the message the social actor is trying to pass across.In figure 2, the text is “You sing that Asake song with your chest, but you niqqas ain’t been here … Lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, at the top, it’s me”. To interact with other social actors, the tweeter made use of words to express his thoughts and feelings. The text contains the thoughts of the tweeter using the lyrics of Asake‘s song, Lonely at the Top, and the repetition of the word, “lonely‘, also, the use of the word, “niqqas” instead of “niggas”. The text has a total of eleven comments, one hundred and twenty shares by the public, a hundred and one likes, and fifteen thousand engagement/views by the public. In the image, the color concept used for the picture is black and white, which are related to “loneliness‘, a life devoid of color represented by black and white, can symbolize a lack of vibrancy and joy, which are often absent in loneliness. Also, black and white thinking can lead to a sense of isolation, as individuals may struggle to find common ground with others. Black and white visuals can create a sense of emptiness, silence, or stillness, mirroring the emotional experience of loneliness. Also, in the image above, is the picture of the persona, Asake, holding a skateboard close and tightly to his body, and a microphone, looking so down and alone on the stage, which expresses the thought of the tweeter, “lonely at the top”, perfectly and accurately. Figure 3: datum three Figure 4: datum four33