Politeness, human value, social status, social media, communication, human behavior, digitalization
The essence of social institutions, politeness, is a key factor in communication. Historically, it has been seen as a symbol of hierarchy and strength. For example, those with a high social status are apt to be more polite than those with a lower status. Nevertheless, the so-called power and status indicators in our digital era are money, position, and popularity. The dynamics of politeness thus necessitate a reaction. Online social media greatly influences politeness standards. Social media blurs the difference between private messages and public space. Self-expression often wins over decorum in public posts, but people stick to traditional norms in direct messages. Social media also provides instantaneous interaction; with social media, it is easier to exchange in real time, and thus, we have less time to reflect. The constant 'traffic' may cause users to respond in a hasty and uncivil manner. Participating in social media with the audience (friends, friends of friends, random people) may result in adjusting to different politeness strategies. What is considered polite by one group may not be perceived as such by others. Social media constitutes a platform that challenges and transforms politeness customs. Users engage in a complicated journey through context, audiences, and platforms that influence their communication style. If only balancing between authenticity and politeness is still a tricky process. This essay argues that the unique dynamics of social media discourse - including the blurring of private/public spaces, the prevalence of instantaneous interactions, and navigating diverse audience contexts - are paradoxically making it both easier to lapse into impolite behaviour online as well as more complicated to conform to traditional politeness standards.
[...] Politeness as Human Value The essence of social institutions, politeness, is a key factor in communication. Historically, it has been seen as a symbol of hierarchy and strength. For example, those with a high social status are apt to be more polite than those with a lower status. Nevertheless, the so-called power and status indicators in our digital era are money, position, and popularity. The dynamics of politeness thus necessitate a reaction. Online social media greatly influences politeness standards. Social media blurs the difference between private messages and public space. [...]
[...] Today, civility and politeness are commonly held human values. However, the Internet social media and their use have introduced new complexities and created a situation where traditional rules of politeness may be inappropriate. The special features of social media networks that contest the line between private and public space, immediate interactions, and the variety of contextual audiences have paradoxically made politeness increasingly difficult to follow despite making it easier for users to fall into unpolite behavior. Hence, exploring and understanding these changing rules should be considered to guarantee that communication is well done and respectful in the digital age. [...]
[...] Digital decorum differs from traditional politeness and can still produce respect and understanding among people (Doohee, 2023). It carries along the norms such as respecting others' privacy, not using offensive language and rectifying the mistakes. These norms serve to regulate the digital environment and do so in a similar fashion to polite behavior - which is respecting others. Social media can provide users with challenges and, at the same time, opportunities that can be considered as learning opportunities. Users master communicating in these channels by tweaking their languages to suit various audiences and settings (Thiele & Turn?ek, 2022). They understand how to express themselves without abusing any other person's feelings, which is the core of being polite. [...]
[...] The issues of instant communication due to the use of digital media call forth for the development of digital literacy (Pratama, 2019). Users should be aware of problems resulting from cyberspace communication and learn strategies for being polite in this environment, which changes very quickly. This includes comprehending the value of taking time for internal reflection before replying or being cognizant of the likelihood of misunderstandings due to the absence of nonverbal cues. Finally, one needs to learn how to maneuver through this intricacy of online communication. I. Rebuttal Social media platforms unite users of different cultures, standings, and geographical locations. [...]
[...] Thiele, D., & Turn?ek, T. (2022). How Right-Wing Populist Comments Affect Online Deliberation on News Media Facebook Pages. Media and Communication, 10(4), 141-154. Antoci, A., Bonelli, L., Paglieri, F., Reggiani, T., & Sabatini, F. (2019). Civility and trust in social media. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 160, 83-99. Harris, A. J., Corner, A., & Hahn, U. (2018). James is polite and punctual (and useless): A Bayesian formalization of faint praise. In New Paradigm Psychology of Reasoning (pp. 178-193). Routledge. Doohee, A. [...]
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