(Im)Politeness: A Cyberpragmatic Study of Social Media Discourse on the Kominfo Data Breach

This study investigates the (im)politeness strategies employed by social media users in response to the Kominfo data breach, with a focus on how TikTok and Instagram commenters utilize politeness, impoliteness, humor, and sarcasm as tools of critique. Employing a qualitative method and drawing on Cyberpragmatics (Yus, 2011), Brown and Levinson's Politeness Theory (1987), and Culpeper's Impoliteness Theory (2011), the study analyzes 126 user comments (52 from Instagram, 74 from TikTok) related to the incident. Results reveal that impoliteness overwhelmingly dominates the discursive landscape, appearing in 97 comments. The most frequent form is Sarcasm or Mock Politeness (58 instances), often employing irony and rhetorical devices to mask criticism within superficially polite language. Bald-on-Record Impoliteness appears in 27 comments, marked by unmitigated face attacks, while Positive Impoliteness (7 instances) involves exclusionary or derogatory language aimed at government figures. Notably, no instances of Negative Impoliteness or Withholding Politeness were observed, suggesting a preference for direct engagement over indirect or silent protest. These findings underscore the role of digital platforms as arenas for socio-pragmatic resistance, where (im)politeness strategies function not merely as expressions of sentiment, but as mechanisms of accountability. The study contributes to the field of cyberpragmatics by illustrating how digital discourse practices reflect shifting norms of public trust, transparency, and civic participation in cybersecurity governance. By addressing a significant gap in current literature on (im)politeness in reactions to governmental data breaches, this research offers theoretical and practical implications for understanding online civic engagement.