Roasting Culture: It's Cool to Burn

This was written for CAS 841: Social Media Storytelling in the Michigan State University Strategic Communications MA program.

This paper is the result of a two-week ethnographic study of the r/RoastMe subreddit. I loved writing this paper. I discovered a new research methodology and a new subculture.

This subculture fascinates me, and left me pondering the questions:

• Is self-deprecation a valid communication channel/strategy?

• Does inviting criticism create goodwill and sympathy?

• Is it liberating or frightening to know what people truly think of you?

I'll leave those answers to the readers...

#rRoastMe #EthnographicStudy #MSU #StratCom #Roasting #RoastingCulture #GradSchool