Remix, mashup, parody and beyond

towards a multidimensional taxonomy of transtextuality in digital culture

Abstract

Remix and mashup designate textual forms, production techniques and creative methods that were developed in conjunction with the analogical reproduction techniques for music and film in the Twentieth Century. In the context of digital culture, in the face of automated editing and montage, and of greater flexibility in the recovery and circulation of media collections on a global scale, remix and mashup have spread as central elements of discursive practices that range from sheer entertainment to civic participation, to various forms of knowledge production. This study aims to contribute to a more meaningful integration of remix and mashup in the list of the objects of study in Applied Linguistics in two ways. Initially, we present a state of the art displaying the various concepts and ramifications of remix and mashup already established in the literature, highlighting the most significant differences between them. Then we put forward a taxonomy covering remix and mashup as textual products, production techniques and methods of creation, and we situate them in the overall ecology of transtextual relations applied linguists are already used to handling. In conclusion, it is recalled that this proposal does nothing but extend to the scope of digital culture a long tradition of studies on the strength of hybridity in cultural dynamics, and its potential for the formation of critical citizens capable of leading social change.