CONTEXTUALIZING MEANINGS:PRAGMATIC SHIFTS AND CONTEXTUALIZATION CUES IN DIGITAL COMMUNICATION

Abstract

This study investigates the pragmatic shifts in digital communication by examining how users construct and negotiate meaning across diverse online platforms. As language adapts to increasingly multimodal environments, digital interlocutors deploy creative strategies—such as stylization, emojis, meme syntax, and mock performatives to express stance, manage face, and perform identity. Grounded in Gumperz’s theory of contextualization cues and informed by sociopragmatic frameworks, the research adopts a qualitative, interpretive methodology to analyze naturally occurring discourse from TikTok, Slack, and YouTube. These platforms represent distinct communicative ecologies, performative/aesthetic,professional/institutional, and entertainment/affective enabling comparative insight into how platform affordances shape meaning-making. The dataset includes approximately 20 stylized expressions per platform, such as “It’s giving “boss” and “Let’s circle back,” selected for their frequency and pragmatic complexity. Each instance is analyzed alongside contextual features like emojis, replies, threading, and timestamps to reveal how indirectness, face-work, and stance-taking function through digital-specific cues. Findings show that across platforms such as WhatsApp, Email, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, users rely heavily on contextualization cues—including hashtags, threads, GIFs, captions, gestures, vocal tone, and background music to frame meaning and guide interpretation. These strategies are central to managing relationships and signaling communicative intent in digital settings. The study concludes that as digital culture continues to evolve, so too will the pragmatic strategies users employ, underscoring the need for sustained attention to the dynamic interplay between language, context, and technology.