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Caroline Tagg

Lecturer in Applied Linguistics and English Language, The Open University

I began my current post at the Open University in October 2015. Prior to that, I worked for four years at the University of Birmingham as a lecturer and, before that, I held another post for two years at the Open University. I gained my PhD from the University of Birmingham in 2009, with a thesis titled 'A corpus analysis of SMS text messaging'. I have an MA in Applied Linguistics and TESOL from Leicester University, which I completed in 2005. I previously worked as a TESOL teacher in Spain, and then in Vietnam with the British voluntary organisation, Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO).

My research interests are in language and social media, including multilingualism, audience design, and online language play, with a focus on text messaging (and, more recently WhatsApp) and Facebook. I am currently working on the AHRC-funded research project headed by Professor Angela Creese, 'Translation and Translanguaging' in which I am responsible for coordinating the collection and analysis of social media data. I have authored two books (The Discourse of Text Messaging, Continuum 2012; and Exploring Digital Communication, Routledge 2015) and I have co-edited a further two books (The Politics of English, with Ann Hewings, Routledge 2012; and The Language of Social Media, with Philip Seargeant, Palgrave 2014).

The real reason you can't quit Facebook? Maybe it's because you can judge your friends

Jul 12, 2017 19:02 pm UTC| Technology

Facebook recently announced that it now has over 2 billion monthly users. This makes its population larger than that of China, the US, Mexico and Japan combined. Its popularity, and with it the influence it has in society,...

US Election Series

The filter bubble isn't just Facebook's fault -- it's yours

Dec 06, 2016 07:43 am UTC| Technology Politics

Following the shock results of Brexit and the Trump victory, a lot of attention has focused on the role that Facebook might have played in creating online political ghettos in which false news can easily spread. Facebook...

Economy

Australia Inflation Accelerates to 4% After RBA Rate Hike

Australias consumer inflation accelerated in August, although the increase came in slightly below market expectations, while underlying price pressures remained elevated following the Reserve Bank of Australias latest...

Gold Prices Slip as High Treasury Yields Weigh on Bullion

Gold prices edged lower on Wednesday as elevated U.S. Treasury yields continued to pressure bullion, while falling oil prices helped ease concerns over inflation ahead of key U.S. economic data. Spot gold, or XAU/USD,...

Dollar Eases Near Two-Month High as Yen Rebounds

The U.S. dollar edged lower on Wednesday but remained close to a two-month high as traders awaited key U.S. inflation and labor-market data for fresh clues on the Federal Reserves interest rate outlook. The U.S. dollar...

Asian Stocks Rise as Bond Yields Ease Ahead of U.S. Inflation Data

Asian stocks were mostly higher Wednesday as easing global bond yields and softer oil prices supported risk appetite, while investors awaited key U.S. inflation data for clues on the Federal Reserves interest-rate outlook....

BOJ Signals Faster Rate Hikes as Inflation Risks Grow

The Bank of Japan is preparing for potentially faster and more regular interest rate hikes as policymakers seek to prevent inflation from overshooting their target, putting fresh attention on key economic data due this...

Politics

Wicker Urges US to Uphold Taiwan Security Commitments

Republican U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has called on Washington to uphold its security commitments to Taiwan as lawmakers press the Trump administration over delayed military...

TSA Removes Chairs for Airport ID Check Officers

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration is removing chairs from airport security checkpoints, meaning TSA officers checking passenger identification will no longer be able to sit while performing the task. The...

US Alcohol Ban Exposes Canada’s Internal Trade Barriers

A new US ban on many Canadian alcohol imports is putting fresh pressure on Canadas brewers, distillers and winemakers, but provincial trade barriers are making it difficult for producers to replace lost American sales at...

US Appeals Court Keeps Trump IRS Case Sanctions in Place

A US appeals court on Tuesday declined to immediately halt sanctions stemming from President Donald Trumps $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, leaving a federal judges restrictions in effect while the...

UN Condemns Myanmar Airstrike That Kills 50 in Rakhine

The United Nations has condemned a deadly Myanmar military airstrike in Rakhine state that reportedly killed 50 people and wounded at least 58 others near the border with Bangladesh. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

DeepSeek, Huawei Partner on Ascend AI Chip Programming Tools

DeepSeek has partnered with Huawei Technologies to develop new programming tools for Huaweis Ascend AI chips, strengthening Chinas efforts to build domestic alternatives to Nvidia hardware. DeepSeek said Wednesday in a...

Apple iPhone 18 Pro Sales Jump 12% in China

Apples iPhone 18 Pro series delivered a strong debut in China, with first-week sales rising 12% from a year earlier and helping the technology giant secure the top position in the countrys smartphone market, according to...

Robinhood Launches AI Agents for Automated Trading

Robinhood Markets is expanding its artificial intelligence capabilities with the launch of Robinhood Agents, a new feature designed to help retail investors analyze markets, develop trading strategies, and execute trades...

Google Pays Publishers for AI Search Content in New Pilot

Google is reportedly paying around 100 digital publishers to provide content for its artificial intelligence-powered search features, marking a notable change in the technology giants longstanding relationship with online...

Trump, Tech Leaders Sign ‘Morally Binding’ AI Safety Accord

President Donald Trump and executives from major technology companies signed a voluntary artificial intelligence agreement in Washington on Tuesday, establishing a set of principles intended to guide the development and...