Sarcasm as a Digital Indirectness Strategy: A Pragmatic Analysis of Gen Z’s Face Work on Instagram Posts/Stories

Abstract

This research investigates sarcasm as an indirect linguistic strategy used to avoid face work in dynamic social interactions. Instagram has transformed contemporary communication by supporting creative and purposeful language practices among Gen Z. The study examines how Gen Z users employ sarcasm on Instagram posts through the lens of Brown and Levinson’s (1987) Politeness Theory. It employs a qualitative textual analysis of Instagram posts to identify and interpret Goffman’s idea of facework that includes positive, negative and off record Face Threatening Acts. The findings indicate that positive politeness strategies are more frequently used to reinforce solidarity among peers. Negative politeness strategies appear less frequently but emerge in contexts involving authority or sensitive topics. Off-Record strategies enable Gen Z to convey implicit meanings to maintain plausible deniability. The research aims to uncover how language constructs different strategies to manage face-needs and avoid face-threats. The choice of strategy depends on social variables such as power relations, social distance, and degree of imposition. The analysis demonstrates that people use sarcasm as a linguistic strategy to show anger and frustrations in their social, political, relational and cultural lives. For Gen Z, sarcasm not only functions as a key expressive resource for humour, identity construction and social critique but also as a tool that has the potential to threaten both positive and negative faces. The findings also reveal that people use language to create their appealing self-image while conveying unexpected meanings by stating them indirectly. It further suggests that sarcasm is not merely a stylistic device, but a socially negotiated practice shaped by politeness strategies and communicative norms of Instagram.