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Impoliteness in social media

The case of Syrian Arabic Facebook comments

 | University of Debrecen
Published online: 17 March 2026
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https://doi.org/10.1075/ip.00142.hod
Abstract
This research examines impoliteness on Facebook as used by Syrian commenters on a video posted by YouTuber, Barhom M3arawi. The research, which adopts a qualitative approach, also investigates the moral foundations underlying commenters’ use and evaluation of impoliteness. The data, which comprise 200 comments, were analyzed following Culpeper (. 2005. “Impoliteness and entertainment in the television quiz show: The Weakest Link.” Journal of Politeness Research 11: 35–72. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar, . 2011. Impoliteness: Using Language to Cause Offence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar). The results reveal that commenters employed 270 on-record and off-record impoliteness strategies, with the majority opting for on-record impoliteness, specifically positive impoliteness. The most frequently used impoliteness strategies are belittling, insults, and rhetorical questions. The strategies also exhibit culture-specific features such as the use of God’s name and vocatives. Analysis of metapragmatic comments indicates that commenters evaluate the video as impolite, as reflected in their expression of negative emotions. This evaluation appears to be rooted in the perception that Barhom’s behavior violated the moral foundation of authority/respect. Additionally, the results suggest that fairness/reciprocity also underlies commenters’ evaluations of impoliteness. Thus, commenters seem to use impoliteness as a response to perceived moral transgressions.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Computer-mediated Communication (CMC)
  • 3.Impoliteness and the moral order
  • 4.Impoliteness studies in CMC
  • 5.Methods and data
    • 5.1Data
    • 5.2Procedures
  • 6.Results and discussion
    • 6.1On-record impoliteness strategies
      • 6.1.1Negative impoliteness
      • 6.1.2Positive impoliteness
    • 6.2Off-record impoliteness strategies
    • 6.3Discussion of the results of RQ1
    • 6.4The moral foundations of impoliteness use and evaluations
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
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