Authors: Dr. Menik Winiharti  & Ahmad Mubarok (2023).

The rapid expansion of digital communication has transformed the way students and lecturers interact today. Platforms such as WhatsApp and LINE now function as extensions of the classroom, becoming spaces where academic questions are raised, permissions are requested, and relationships are negotiated. But despite these technological shifts, the expectations surrounding politeness and respect remain firmly rooted, particularly in cultures that place high value on hierarchies

A 2023 study by Menik Winiharti and Ahmad Mubarok, published in Lingua Cultura, explores precisely this intersection between culture and digital communication. Focusing on undergraduate students with Banjarese cultural backgrounds in Banjarmasin, the researchers examine how young people navigate politeness when communicating with their lecturers through text-based platforms. Their findings reveal, in many ways, how cultural values endure even as students adopt new modes of discourse.

Politeness is not an innate attribute; rather, it develops through social and cultural interaction. In academic settings, where respect and formality traditionally guide communication, the shift to online messaging introduces new complexities. Without vocal tone or body language, a message can appear abrupt, overly familiar, or even disrespectful.

To better understand these dynamics, the researchers analysed forty-three messages exchanged between students and lecturers. Using Brown and Levinson’s established theory of positive politeness, they examined how students tried to maintain harmony, express respect, or soften their requests. Their analysis also considered the underlying sociological factors that influence politeness, including the level of familiarity between speaker and addressee, the power differences inherent in the lecturer–student relationship, and the weight of the request being made.

The study identified eleven distinct strategies that students employed to maintain politeness. Many messages showed attentiveness to the lecturer’s needs, frequent use of gratitude, and expressions of apology – demonstrating students’ desire to acknowledge the lecturer’s position. Some incorporated humour, revealing that students felt comfortable using warmth and light-heartedness to build rapport even across academic boundaries. Others relied on culturally embedded expressions such as ‘inggih’, a Banjarese term signalling respect and subtlety, reaffirming that cultural identity remains present even in typed conversations.

Despite these polite tendencies, instances of impoliteness did emerge. Five messages in the dataset clearly violated the norms of positive politeness, often by placing undue pressure on the lecturer or by disregarding social distance. A message such as “Can you be quick? I am busy” stands out as a form of imposition that threatens the lecturer’s sense of autonomy. The study suggests that such lapses may occur for several reasons. Sometimes students underestimate the weight of their words in a digital environment, assuming text-based exchanges allow for a more casual tone. In other cases, cultural expressions such as maambung, or excessive praise, can work against the speaker’s intentions, appearing insincere or socially misplaced. Moreover, interrogative responses or abrupt rejections can unintentionally signal disagreement or impatience, particularly when non-verbal cues are absent.

What emerges from this study is a portrait of students attempting to balance respect, efficiency, and friendliness with varying degrees of success. The findings highlight that digital communication does not erase cultural expectations; rather, it amplifies the need for awareness. Students continue to recognise the lecturer’s higher status and generally work to maintain harmonious interaction, yet the constraints of digital messaging – its brevity, its lack of tone – can complicate their efforts.

These insights underscore the importance of teaching not only linguistic competence but also pragmatic competence – an understanding of how language functions within social contexts. As universities increasingly rely on digital platforms, helping students develop sensitivity to tone, hierarchy, and cultural nuance becomes an essential part of preparing them for academic and professional communication. Lecturers, too, play a critical role by modelling appropriate forms of digital interaction and offering guidance when boundaries blur. By attending to these dynamics, both students and educators can foster clearer, kinder, and more culturally grounded communication in the digital classroom.

Summarized by: Rafli Izzudin