(Im)Politeness and Offence in Greek Food Blogs

Digital communication has been discussed as the locus of impoliteness and conflict par excellence. The aim of this paper is to examine impoliteness in a context of digital communication, that of food blogs, where impoliteness seems to be rather rare. The dataset consists of 2660 comments from 11 Greek food blogs. The data are analysed with the aid of strategies proposed in impoliteness research. The study aims to examine the frequency of offensive behaviour and to identify the issues that may trigger it. Furthermore, it purports to delve into the types and strategies of impoliteness used, and into interactants’ responses to offence. Data analysis showed that impolite behaviour is rare in this specific context and that it is triggered by issues related to features of good recipes and healthy eating practices, among others. It was also found that offence is usually mitigated through politeness strategies. Finally, several cases of offence were found to be disregarded by interactants, while others were resolved amicably. A tendency emerges in Greek food blogs towards the avoidance of impoliteness and the cultivation of relationships of closeness and solidarity.