LANGUAGE POLITENESS PRACTICES ON SOCIAL MEDIA AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

This study aims to examine the practice of language politeness on social media among students from the Faculty of Education, Language, and Communication (FELC), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). The widespread use of social media among students has raised concerns regarding the need to uphold polite language, particularly in the context of digital communication. This study adopts a quantitative research design, utilizing a questionnaire as the primary instrument to collect data on language politeness practices, levels of social media usage, and the impact on students\' communication. The demographic findings provide a clear overview of the respondent profile. A total of 106 respondents participated in the study, all of whom were FELC students. The majority were female students (73.6%), while male students accounted for only 26.4%. This composition suggests a predominance of female participants, which may reflect a greater interest or sensitivity among female students toward issues related to language politeness. The findings indicate that UNIMAS students demonstrate a high level of awareness regarding the importance of maintaining polite language on social media, although variations in practice exist depending on the context. It is hoped that the results of this study can serve as a guide for the university to develop appropriate programs aimed at fostering polite language practices among the younger generation.