A Sociolinguistic Study of English-Indonesian Code-Switching in the “Road Trip” Vlogs

Abstract

In a globalized era, digital communication platforms like YouTube have become vital spaces for diaspora communities to negotiate cultural identity through fluid language practices. This study investigates the types of code-switching used by a bilingual diaspora speaker, William Rainier, in the “Road Trip” episodes of the Rainier Family YouTube channel. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, data were gathered through observation, manual transcription, and purposive sampling of four travel vlogs uploaded in 2025: Road Trip Solo, Yogyakarta, Jakarta, and Semarang. The linguistic data were analyzed using Poplack’s (1980) types of code-switching. The findings reveal that all three types of code-switching (intra-sentential, inter-sentential, and tag switching) are used naturally and spontaneously in the vlogs, with intra-sentential switching being the most dominant type. The speaker switches codes mainly to maintain cultural authenticity when describing traditional Indonesian elements and to bridge connections with both local companions and an international audience. This study highlights how code-switching functions as a dynamic communicative tool for identity preservation among digital natives in a diaspora context.