Instagram Compliment Responses through Herbert’s Taxonomy: A Cultural and Digital Linguistic Analysis

In the Malaysian context, there is a dearth of awareness regarding the use of compliments and compliment responses. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of compliment response strategies used in an Instagram post, emphasising the applicability of Herbert's (1986) taxonomy in contemporary digital communication. The investigation indicates that the Instagram user mostly employed Agreement techniques, including Comment Acceptance, Appreciation Tokens, and Praise Upgrade, in conjunction with Non-Agreement strategies such as scale Down and Non-Acceptance of qualification. These findings correspond with other studies by Dehkordi and Chalak (2015) and Indah and Rifana (2017), which emphasised the prevalent utilisation of gratitude and the acceptance of compliments. Furthermore, the study also assessed the participant's utilisation of code-switching from Malay to English in her responses, particularly in the context of expressing gratitude, while implementing Herbert's taxonomy. The participant's code-switching from Malay to English, exemplified by the use of terms such as "thanks," indicates an attempt to lessen Malay modesty norms and prevent the appearance of boastfulness, as seen by Azianura Hani Shaari and Lee (2010). This study highlights the impact of Malay cultural norms on online compliment exchanges and demonstrates how Non-Agreement methods frequently diminish praise, a trait of conventional Malay answers as noted by Thilagavathi (2003). The results necessitate additional investigation on language utilisation in social media, particularly as digital communication increases. Subsequent research ought to encompass bigger participant groups and investigate additional speech acts, including requests and apologies, to enhance comprehension of the influence of cultural values on social media interactions in Malaysia.