Framing Face-Saving Behavior on Facebook

Abstract

The majority of the previous research suggested that the significance of face on social communication is both prevalent and powerful. Every communication channel has the potential to risk the harmony between speakers and hearers. As a result, based on the concept of politeness strategies, this study explores face-saving behavior employed by Facebook users. By examining the different situations of interactions, the paper attempts to describe and analyze the use of politeness strategies on Facebook. The results found that all speakers employed all four politeness strategies proposed by Brown and Levinson. The use of positive strategies with 36.67 % that was in high-rated population, and followed by bald on record politeness strategy without redressive action that took 28.89 %. Negative politeness was used 20 % in this platform channel. The last strategy is an indirect strategy called bald off-record that took 14.44 %. In conclusion, politeness strategy plays a significant role as a strategy in building a good interaction without violence the communication and can save the speaker’s face as well.