Redefining politeness: Power and status in the digital age

Abstract

Politeness refers to socio-cultural norms, conventions, or rituals in society. From a critical sociolinguistic perspective, the discourse of politeness is inseparable from social status and power. For instance, people who have a high social standing associate with a high level of politeness. This condition certainly has implications for a social hierarchy. Status is characterized by the presence of a high social position, while power is related to the hegemony of the powerful person to his subordinates. Previous research has shown that power is closely related to society characterized by educated, knowledgeable, and elderly people in society. However, in today’s digital age, those indicators have shifted to wealth, position, and fame. It is for this reason that relations of power and status in politeness need to be redefined.

Keywords

• politeness
• power
• social status
• sociolinguistics