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Analysis of Digital Interactions on Facebook: The Role of Pragmatic Markers

Cite this article as: Ogbuehi, P. N., &Abanji, T. M. (2026). Analysis of digital interactions on Facebook: The role of pragmatic markers. Sokoto Journal of Linguistics and Communication Studies (SOJOLICS), 2(1), 11-20. https://doi.org/10.36349/sojolics.2026.v02i01.002

ANALYSIS OF DIGITAL INTERACTIONS ON FACEBOOK: THE ROLE OF PRAGMATIC MARKERS

www.doi.org/10.36349/sojolics.2026.v02i01.002

By

Patricia Nneka Ogbuehi, PhD
Department of English and Literary Studies,
Admiralty University of Nigeria, Ibusa,
Delta State, Nigeria.
patoneka44@gmail.com
08060396696

&

Terfa Micheal Abanji
Department of English and Literary Studies,
Admiralty University of Nigeria, Ibusa,
Delta State, Nigeria.
miketabanji@gmail.com
07061833021

Abstract

This study investigates the role of pragmatic markers in shaping meaning, stance, and social relations in Facebook-based political interactions. Today, platforms such as Facebook have emerged as key sites for interaction, identity construction, and discourse negotiation, where users simultaneously manage public and private selves within highly visible communicative spaces. Anchored in Discourse Marker Theory of Schiffrin, 1987 and Fraser’s Pragmatic Marker Model of 1996, the research adopts a qualitative descriptive approach to analyze a political Facebook post by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and the accompanying comment threads from followers. The data, transcribed verbatim with emojis and other multimodal features preserved, were examined to identify interactional, attitudinal, and textual pragmatic markers and to interpret their communicative functions within context. Findings revealed that pragmatic markers such as vocatives, greetings, hedges, boosters, honorifics, religious expressions, emojis, hashtags, and evaluative phrases play a crucial role in negotiating politeness, expressing solidarity, managing stance, and reinforcing political and cultural identity. These markers enable participants to soften criticism, signal admiration, construct communal belonging, and align ideologically within a context of audience hybridity and context collapse typical of Facebook discourse. The study concludes that pragmatic markers function as socially meaningful resources that humanize political communication, enhance persuasive impact, and facilitate collective meaning-making in digital public spheres. It therefore highlights the importance of pragmatic analysis for understanding contemporary political discourse beyond propositional content, particularly in digitally mediated environments.

Keywords: Digital political interaction, Facebook discourse, identity construction, meaning-making, pragmatic markers,

1. Introduction

The advent of social media has profoundly transformed human communication, reshaping not only interactional patterns but also the ways pragmatic meaning is produced and negotiated in digital discourse. Platforms such as Facebook have emerged as key sites for interaction, identity construction, and discourse negotiation, where users simultaneously manage public and private selves within highly visible communicative spaces (Rambe & Mulyadi, 2023; Eke, Asak & Adeyemi, 2025). Within political communication, Facebook enables political actors to engage directly with constituents, creating a dynamic arena for real-time public discourse that is marked by heightened pragmatic complexity.

On Facebook, where audiences are hybrid and unpredictable comprising supporters, critics, acquaintances, and unknown observers, the strategic deployment of pragmatic markers becomes especially significant. The phenomenon of context collapse requires users, particularly political actors, to craft utterances that simultaneously address multiple audiences with divergent expectations (Rambe & Mulyadi, 2023). For instance, the use of markers such as well may introduce hesitation or modesty that mitigates certainty and appealing to both supporters and skeptics, while so can signal transitions into evaluation or critique without overt confrontation. Similarly, markers like you know and okay often function to invoke shared understanding, alignment, or conversational closure, contributing to the management of politeness and solidarity in politically sensitive exchanges. The pragmatic richness of Facebook political discourse is further intensified by the proliferation of multimodal resources, including emojis, abbreviations, GIFs, and creative punctuation, which interact with linguistic markers to produce meaning beyond literal semantics (Fitriani, Hidayati & Budiarti, 2021; Rambe & Mulyadi, 2023).

Despite Facebook’s growing importance as a site of political communication, scholarly attention to the role of pragmatic markers in shaping meaning and managing social relations in digital political interactions remains limited. Existing studies on social media discourse often focus on content, ideology, or participation patterns, paying insufficient attention to the subtle pragmatic mechanisms through which politicians and citizens respond to politically sensitive events. In contexts of Facebook political post, with the attending comment threads, the use of pragmatic markers provides insight into how political positions are articulated, contested, and negotiated in public online spaces. This study therefore examines the types and functions of pragmatic markers in Facebook political discourse, with a focus on their role in meaning-making, stance management, politeness, disagreement, and solidarity in digitally mediated political interaction.

2.0 Literature Review

2.1   Pragmatics Markers

Pragmatic markers are subtle linguistic and paralinguistic resources through which speakers and writers manage discourse, interpersonal relationships, and epistemic stance in context. They are especially important in contemporary digital communication where speech, writing, and visual cues intersect. Fraser (2018) defines pragmatic markers as expressions that contribute to communicative intent rather than propositional meaning. They function at meta-discursive, interpersonal, and textual levels. Similarly, Aijmer (2020) notes that pragmatic markers help interlocutors interpret intentions, mitigate face-threats, and maintain cohesion. Among these markers, discourse markers such as well, so, and you know have been widely studied for their roles in organizing talk, signaling transitions, and negotiating interpersonal alignment (Bolden, 2018; Buysse, 2021). For example, in a Facebook conversation where one user says, “Well, you know the ref was biased,” the marker well delays disagreement while you know appeals to shared understanding. This shows how discourse markers shape interpretation rather than content (Andersen, 2022).

2.2 Emojis as Pragmatic Markers

Beyond verbal language, emojis have become important pragmatic devices that express emotion, tone, and stance in multimodal digital communication. Herring and Dainas (2020) argue that emojis function as paralinguistic cues similar to facial expressions in spoken interaction. They help clarify intentions or soften criticism. Weissman and Tanner (2022) further show that emojis can carry illocutionary force or even function as standalone utterances depending on context. For instance, a comment such as “Nice job” may be interpreted as praise, sarcasm, or playful mockery depending on the relationship between users. Yus (2022) therefore explains that emoji interpretation is guided by relevance theory and depends on contextual and cultural inference beyond visual recognition.

2.3  Netspeak Abbreviations as Pragmatic Markers

Another emerging pragmatic resource is netspeak abbreviations such as lol (laughing out loud), brb (be right back), and idk (I don’t know). These forms function less as lexical shortcuts and more as markers of stance, informality, and social alignment (Tagg & Seargeant, 2019). A Study by McCulloch (2020) shows that such abbreviations can signal solidarity among peers, though they may also reduce perceived sincerity or effort. In addition, punctuation has been re-conceptualized as a grapho-pragmatic tool rather than a purely grammatical system, especially in texting and social media. Busch (2021) introduced the “interactional principle of punctuation,” arguing that features such as ellipses, multiple exclamation marks, and terminal periods now convey interpersonal meanings like hesitation, excitement, or passive-aggression.

 

3.  Theoretical Framework

The analysis of pragmatic markers in Facebook discourse requires a framework that combines classical linguistic theories with modern perspectives on digital communication. This study is therefore anchored on Schiffrin’s (1987) Discourse Marker Theory and Fraser’s (1996) Pragmatic Marker Model. These theories explain how pragmatic markers function across textual, interpersonal, and cognitive levels. Schiffrin (1987) describes discourse markers as linguistic items that connect discourse segments, organize interaction, guide conversation, and indicate speaker intentions. For example, in Facebook discourse, markers such as well, so, and you know retain these functions in asynchronous, text-based interaction where comments and replies replace face-to-face turn-taking. Unlike spoken discourse, social media communication allows these markers to coexist with emojis, punctuation, and reaction icons, creating hybrid forms of pragmatic marking.

Fraser’s (1996) pragmatic marker model explains markers as elements operating at a pragmatic meta-level rather than contributing to propositional meaning. According to Fraser, pragmatic markers modify or comment on the communicative act. His model includes commentary markers such as frankly and seriously, which express speaker attitudes, and interpersonal markers such as please and you see, which manage relational alignment. This distinction helps explain how Facebook users negotiate agreement, disagreement, face needs, and solidarity in public comment sections. Political discussions on Facebook often contain hedges such as maybe and I think for face-saving, alongside boosters such as clearly and obviously for assertiveness. These choices reflect strategic identity positioning before diverse audiences (Fraser, 1996). This study therefore applies Fraser’s model to code and interpret these functional categories in the dataset.

4. Data and Methodology

This study adopts a qualitative descriptive research design to examine how pragmatic markers function within political communication on Facebook. The data were drawn from a political post made by Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central Senatorial Zone and the comments from her followers on her Facebook page. The post was purposefully selected due to its relevance to public discourse and high level of engagement. The senator’s post and users’ responses were manually transcribed verbatim, with emojis, reaction icons, abbreviations, and punctuation preserved, as they serve as multimodal pragmatic cues. The data were analyzed qualitatively by categorizing the identified pragmatic markers according to their interactional, attitudinal, and textual functions.

5.0 Analysis and Discussion

5.1   Data Analyses

This analysis involves the exemplification of linguistic elements and structures from the data to illustratively demonstrate how pragmatic markers are deployed in a Facebook political post and the comments to showcase interactional, attitudinal, and textual functions that reflect shared experiences, political alignment, or ideological conflict.

 

Facebook Post

Excerpt 1

“Good people of Kogi central, good afternoon, I am Senator Natasha,”

The above except is an opening remark of the post made by Senator Natasha who will afterwards be designated as the Senator. In the above expression, the Senator employs pragmatic markers that help establish rapport, define social relations, and frame the interaction. The phrase “Good people of Kogi Central” functions as a discourse-opening boundary marker that establishes audience, politeness, and communicative alignment.It is used to directly address her constituents and signal recognition, respect, and solidarity. By using this form of address, the senator positions the audience as valued and esteemed which reinforces a sense of communal identity and belonging. It also helps to capture attention and create an atmosphere of goodwill.

The expression “good afternoon” serves as a greeting marker. It performs a phatic function that opens the channel of communication politely to maintain social harmony. This type of pragmatic marker does not add propositional meaning but helps establish a courteous and friendly tone. It signals that the interaction is setting off in a respectful and socially appropriate manner. Moreso, the phrase “I am Senator Natasha” acts as a self-identification or introductory pragmatic marker. It clarifies the speaker’s identity and authority that reinforces her institutional role. This functions to authenticate the speaker’s voice and establish credibility, especially in a public or formal address. Through these pragmatic choices, the senator not only shares information but also strategically builds connection, respect, and legitimacy with her audience.

 

Excerpt 2

“And umm, I’ve decided to make it a duty to speak to you directly when necessary”

In the above expression, the senator uses two key pragmatic markers: “and” and “umm.” Each serves a distinct communicative function. “And” acts as a continuative discourse marker linking this statement to a previous idea or utterance. It signals that the senator is adding further information to her earlier message. Rather than starting a new thought abruptly, “and” maintains the flow of discourse and shows coherence in her address. It also softens the transition that creates a conversational tone instead of a formal or abrupt shift. This helps maintain rapport with the audience. Also, the hesitation marker “umm” indicates a moment of thinking or self-monitoring before continuing the statement. It does not contribute to the propositional content but signals a brief search for words or a desire to speak carefully. It also serves to make the speech feel more spontaneous and sincere. This gives the impression that the senator is speaking from the heart rather than delivering a scripted message. It helps to build authenticity and foster a closer connection with her audience. It also subtly prepares the audience for something she considers important or personal.

 

Excerpt 3

“Today, I feel a bit ill, but I had to turn up”

In this statement, the senator uses the pragmatic marker “but” to serve multiple communicative purposes at once. It introduces a contrast between her physical condition and her actions in which she acknowledges that she is unwell while emphasizing that she still chose to appear before the audience. This contrast also functions as a concession that subtly communicates that although circumstances might justify her absence, her commitment overrides personal discomfort. The senator uses it to indicate a sense of responsibility and duty. Even though she is not strong enough, yet because of the duty and responsibility she owns her people, she still went ahead to address her audience as a duty and responsibility she owned them. At the same time, the use of “but” indicates a strong sense of responsibility and duty which suggest that public service and loyalty to her constituent take precedence over personal well-being. Through this expression of sacrifice, the senator enhances her public image, presenting herself as a dedicated and dependable leader. The hedge “a bit” softens the claim, reduces imposition and projects humility.

The pragmatic marker therefore not only organizes the sentence logically but also contributes to an ethos of appeal that shapes how she is perceived by others.

Excerpt 4

 “I sat there for two hours, hoping to be called upon to make my contribution on behalf of the people of Kogi Central, but umm, I wasn’t given a chance to speak…,”

In the above expression, several pragmatic markers are used to express attitude, manage discourse flow, and shape audience perception. The marker “but” introduces contrast and signals a shift from expectation to disappointment. It highlights a clash between her intention to speak and the outcome of being denied that opportunity. This contrast not only organizes the discourse but also evokes sympathy by emphasizing personal effort and unfulfilled responsibility. This aligns with Schiffrin’s view of markers as devices that manage ideational and interpersonal transitions. The hesitation marker “umm” positioned immediately after “but” functions as a boundary marker between the institutional narrative and the personal affective response. It indexes cognitive processing and emotional restraint that signal that the forthcoming clause is interactionally delicate. It conveys a moment of emotional strain or careful reflection and adds a tone of sincerity and vulnerability, implying that the senator is choosing her words thoughtfully, possibly due to the sensitivity of the issue. It creates a more conversational and relatable tone rather than a purely formal or rehearsed statement. These pragmatic markers help the senator frame her narrative as one of commitment, frustration, and authenticity. She presents herself as willing to serve her people, hindered by circumstances beyond her control, and honest in sharing her experience.

Excerpt 5

“At the National Assembly today, we conducted a screening exercise for the nominated chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan.”

Although the utterance contains no canonical discourse markers such as well, so, or but, it performs crucial discourse-organising functions within the interaction. The prepositional phrase “At the National Assembly today” functions as a contextual framing device that anchors the discourse spatially and temporally. In Schiffrin’s terms, this framing orients the audience to the institutional setting and legitimises the relevance of the ensuing narrative. The inclusive pronoun “we “serves as an interactional alignment cue that constructs a shared identity between the senator and her colleagues in the legislative body, and indirectly with the audience who they represent. This enhances credibility and fosters a sense of solidarity which indicates that the activity was a coordinated institutional effort rather than a personal affair.

Comments:

Excerpt 6

Commentator 1: “Senator Natasha for 2027! 4+4=8! We stand with you.”

In the above expression, the commentator employs several pragmatic markers to express alignment, solidarity, and persuasive intent rather than merely conveying factual information. These markers serve interpersonal and attitudinal functions that shape how the message is understood within its political context. The phrase “for 2027” operates as a projective pragmatic marker that signals future alignment and political endorsement. It does not just state time; it frames a shared goal and assumes collective agreement that the Senator should contest in the 2027 elections. This marker projects intention and expectation that guides the audience to perceive the senator as a viable future candidate. The expression “4+4=8!” functions as an ideological or slogan-like pragmatic marker. While mathematically simple, here it symbolically communicates the desire for a second four-year term, indirectly urging continuity of leadership. Its function is persuasive and rallying. It transforms numerical logic into political advocacy. The exclamation mark further intensifies the emotional force that turns the statement into a rallying cry rather than a neutral equation. The clause, “We stand with you” serves as an affiliative and solidarity-building pragmatic marker. This phrase does more than show support; it constructs a collective identity between the speaker, the senator, and the implied public. It performs a unifying function that marks loyalty, emotional alignment, and group commitment. The use of the inclusive pronoun “we” reinforces communal backing and reduces social distance between the speaker and the politician. These pragmatic markers all work to endorse, persuade, and solidify political allegiance. They move beyond literal meaning to perform interpersonal, ideological, and motivational functions within the discourse that enhances the senator’s image and rallying of public support.

 

Excerpt 7

Commentator 2: “Well done, our dear senator we are proud of you always,”

In the above expression the commentator uses several pragmatic markers that go beyond the literal meaning of the words to express emotion, solidarity, and social bonding. These markers help the speaker to create a tone of admiration and loyalty for the senator. The phrase “Well done “functions as an evaluative pragmatic marker. It does not add new information but instead conveys approval and positive judgment about the senator’s actions. It organises reception of the previous speech. This is in line with Schiffrin’s observation that markers help orient the audience’s interpretation of what came before. The “well done” also serves as a discourse‐structuring cue that indexes praise and evaluation that reinforces the senator’s credibility and leadership. The expression “our dear senator “acts as an affiliative and honorific pragmatic marker. The possessive pronoun “our” constructs a sense of collective belonging and shared ownership, while the term “dear” softens the expression and introduces affection and respect. The markers serve to reduce social distance and strengthen the relational bond between the speaker, the audience, and the senator.

The heart emoji is a non-verbal pragmatic marker that signals warmth, emotional support, and affection. It enhances the sentiment already expressed in words in making the praise more personal and emotionally charged. In digital discourse, this emoji functions much like intonation or facial expressions in spoken conversation. Additionally, the expression, “we are proud of you always” serves as a solidarity and loyalty marker. The inclusive pronoun “we” constructs a collective voice, while “proud of you” expresses admiration and emotional alignment. The use of “always” adds a sense of enduring support, suggesting that their loyalty is not situational but constant. Altogether, these pragmatic markers create a message that does more than compliment the senator; they as well build rapport, express communal pride, and reinforce a shared identity between the speaker, the senator, and the wider audience.

Excerpt 8

Commentator 4: “Senator Natasha is showing real leadership. Her questions were thoughtful and in the best interest of Nigerians👏👏👏 #VoiceOfThePeople.”

In the above expression, the speaker employs several pragmatic markers that perform evaluative, affiliative, and ideological functions to help shape how the audience perceives the senator’s actions. The phrase “is showing real leadership” acts as an evaluative pragmatic marker. It goes beyond stating facts to express a positive judgment about the senator’s behavior. The use of “real” intensifies the validity of the praise that suggests authenticity and distinguishing her leadership from superficial or performative acts. The description “in the best interest of Nigerians “serves as a legitimizing and affiliative pragmatic marker. It implies that the senator’s actions are not self-serving but aligned with national welfare, thereby appealing to collective identity and reinforcing trust. This phrase constructs a moral frame where the senator’s intentions are portrayed as noble and patriotic. The clapping emoji (👏) is a non-verbal emotive pragmatic marker. It functions much like applause in spoken interaction, indicating admiration, approval, and public celebration of the senator’s performance. It adds emotional force to the verbal praise. The hashtag “#Voice Of The People” functions as an ideological and collective alignment marker. It positions the senator as a representative of public opinion and communal values. The hashtag also extends the discourse into a wider digital community to invite others to align with or circulate this viewpoint. These pragmatic markers not only serve as compliment to the Senator, but also construct her image as a patriotic, thoughtful, and people-centered leader. They also foster collective identity, emotional support, and ideological alignment within the audience.

 

Excerpt 9

Commentator 7

“The woman after my heart,”

In the above expression, the speaker uses pragmatic markers that express affection, personal alignment, and emotional support rather than providing factual information. The phrase “after my heart” functions as an affiliative and emotive pragmatic marker. It is a figurative expression that conveys deep personal admiration and emotional closeness. By using this phrase, the commentator positions the senator not just as a respected leader but as someone whose values and actions align with their own personal ideals and feelings. It constructs intimacy and approval. The addition of the heart emoji () strengthens this effect as a non-verbal emotional pragmatic marker. In digital communication, the heart symbol represents love, affection, or strong emotional endorsement. It reinforces the warmth of the sentiment, functioning like tone of voice or facial expression in spoken interaction. These pragmatic markers work to express admiration and emotional allegiance. They elevate the praise from neutral approval to personal affection that creates a bond between the speaker and the senator and frame the senator as someone who inspires heartfelt loyalty and connection.

5.2   Discussion of Findings

The analysis reveals that the pragmatic markers used by Senator Natasha and those employed in the comments directed at her perform more than simple informational functions. In the senator’s speech, markers such as well, and, umm, but, and a bit organize discourse, express hesitation, soften claims, and project sincerity, humility, and responsibility. They help construct her identity as a committed and relatable political figure while managing interpersonal relations with her audience. Similarly, the pragmatic markers found in the comment section encode emotion, solidarity, political allegiance, and community identity. Expressions such as Well done, our dear senator, we are proud of you always, and the use of emojis like and👏 create admiration, reduce social distance, and reinforce collective support. Other expressions such as God bless you, my distinguished senator, and Political mathematician! further elevate her public image through respect, cultural symbolism, and ideological endorsement. Together, these pragmatic markers function as interpersonal, attitudinal, and ideological tools that strengthen emotional connection, reinforce shared values, and make Facebook political discourse more socially engaging, persuasive, and emotionally resonant.

6.   Conclusion

In conclusion, the use of pragmatic markers in the comments directed at Senator Natasha demonstrates how language in political discourse extends beyond conveying information to actively constructing social bonds, affirming cultural values, and reinforcing political identity. These markers function as subtle yet powerful tools that express admiration, loyalty, respect, and ideological alignment, thereby enhancing the senator’s credibility and public image. By incorporating emotional, honorific, evaluative, and symbolic expressions, the audience transforms ordinary communication into acts of solidarity and collective belonging. Thus, pragmatic markers serve as essential linguistic strategies that humanize political interaction, foster communal connection, and make political engagement more persuasive and socially meaningful.

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DOI / book page:
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