POLITENESS AND CULTURAL DYNAMICS IN RELIGIOUS AND ACADEMIC WHATSAPP GROUP COMMUNICATION

Abstract

This study examines politeness strategies and cultural dynamics in WhatsApp group discourse, within Nigerian religious and academic groups. It explores the influence of cultural norms on politeness strategies, interactional norms, and social harmony across different social and discourse contexts in digital communication. Anchored in Brown and Levinson’s politeness theory, the research classifies politeness strategies into bald on record, positive politeness, negative politeness, and off-record. Using a quantitative research approach, data were collected from two religious and two academic WhatsApp groups in which 30 conversations from each group were analyzed to identify patterns of politeness strategies. The findings reveal that the Religious Group (RG), often shaped by hierarchical structures and moral authority rooted in Nigerian religious culture, employs more direct and authoritative bald-on-record politeness strategies, while the Academic Group (AGs) reflective of Nigeria’s intellectual culture takes a softer and more cooperative approach. RG uses negative politeness to reinforce hierarchy and moral imperatives, whereas AG relies on indirectness and polite requests to encourage voluntary engagement. Positive politeness is more pronounced in AG that fosters social bonding through informal, friendly, and inclusive expressions. This study therefore concludes that communication styles in Nigerian WhatsApp groups are shaped by their purpose and social-cultural norms, with RG using directive and authority-based language, while AG fosters interaction and cooperation through softer and inclusive expressions.