GENDERED LINGUISTIC STRATEGIES IN ONLINE EMOTIONAL DISCOURSE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF MALE AND FEMALE DIGITAL COMMUNICATION

Abstract

Digital communication is now one of the main locations of expressing emotions and formation of identities and relationships by using language. Gender has a significant role in influencing the linguistic choice in online communication which opens new possibilities of anonymity, reach of the audience and performativity. The current study discusses the use of explicit linguistic strategies in emotional communication via the internet by men and women and how explicit linguistic strategies are conditioned culturally and contextually. With the qualitative comparative design, 1,000 posts of various social media platforms were assessed using thematic and critical discourse analysis. It was focusing on pragmatic markers, emotional lexicon and styles of interaction within a cross-cultural context. There was more expressiveness and empathy among female users and assertive, humorous and evaluative tones were favored by male users. These trends were greatly shaped by cultural and contextual concerns which have exposed the flexibility in the expression of gender. The study emphasizes the fact that gendered linguistic techniques in the online world are socially constructed, context-specific and developing and they are indicative of the wider changes in digital communication and identity performance.