Character Education through the Lens of Streaming Media: Exploring the Pragmatic Complexity of Politeness in Series Dialogue

This study investigates the complexity of language politeness in the Digital Era 4.0, where streaming platforms— unlike traditional television—offer uncensored content that exposes audiences to a wide range of language use, potentially impacting social norms. The research analyzes the pragmatic elements of politeness in two popular Indonesian streaming series, “Layangan Putus” and Wedding Agreement. Using a qualitative descriptive method, the study identifies types of utterances (constative, performative, illocutionary, perlocutionary), adherence to and violations of Leech’s politeness maxims, and the use of conversational implicature. The novelty of the study lies in its comparative approach to analyzing pragmatic politeness in widely viewed digital narratives. Results show a rich variety of utterance types and reveal both conformity to politeness principles—such as generosity and tact—and frequent violations, including blunt criticism and baseless accusations. Conversational implicature is also commonly used, illustrating a nuanced linguistic environment. These findings highlight the dual role of streaming media in shaping linguistic behavior, particularly for younger viewers. The study recommends that parents and educators play an active role in helping youth critically engage with media content. This includes guiding them to distinguish polite and impolite language, understand respectful social interaction, choose context-appropriate diction, and develop a positive communication character suitable for the digital age.