Linguistic Strategy in Online Digital Communication: A Pragmatic Study

Abstract

This study pragmatically examines the linguistic strategies used in online digital communication. It is crucial to comprehend how humans create meaning, navigate goals, and communicate social behaviour in digital time due to the rapid expansion of online platforms and interactions. The study aims to highlight the significant role of linguistic strategies in online digital communication, and identify the different strategies in online communication with different intended meanings, and analyze the selected online digital communication according to the pragmatic theory. This study uses the theoretical framework of pragmatics to explore the pragmatic characteristics, purposes, and consequences of language tactics in online digital communication. The study utilizes a qualitative theoretical framework by collecting accurate data from real online platforms and channels and using pragmatic analysis tools to transcribe the data. The study explores how meaning is constructed and negotiated, focusing on the pragmatic elements of linguistic tactics such as implicature and politeness by adopting the practical theories of Searle's (1979) Speech Act Theory and Gricean's Theory of Implicature and Cooperative Principle (1975). As a result, the study finds that language techniques differ across various digital communication platforms and emphasizes context's influence on online conversation. The results enhance our comprehension of how people develop linguistic techniques in online digital communication and have consequences for successful communication, social engagement, and digital literacy in modern digital settings.