Digital silence as a pragmatic strategy: An intercultural qualitative study of online group chats in crisis situations

https://doi.org/10.35912/jshe.v5i3.3188
Published: Jul 15, 2025

Abstract:

Purpose: This study investigates digital silence as a pragmatic strategy in online group chats during crisis situations, focusing on its cross-cultural functions and interpretations.

Research methodology: Using a qualitative discourse-pragmatic framework, data were collected from 30 online group chats across Arabic-speaking, Western, and East Asian groups, and analyzed for patterns of silence.

Results: Findings reveal that digital silence is universally used but culturally interpreted. In Arabic-speaking groups, silence often conveys politeness or emotional overwhelm; in Western contexts, it may suggest avoidance; and in East Asian cultures, it can indicate deference or restraint.

Conclusions: Digital silence operates as a strategic communicative act shaped by cultural expectations.

This study addressed three research questions. First, digital silence is used pragmatically in online group chats during crises to convey politeness, emotional regulation, resistance, and ambiguity. Second, it serves functions such as mourning, face-saving, strategic withdrawal, and deference. Third, these functions vary culturally: in Arabic-speaking contexts, silence often reflects solidarity and emotion; in Western groups, it can imply resistance or discomfort; and in East Asian settings, it demonstrates restraint and hierarchy.

Limitations: The research is limited to group chats during specific types of crises, and findings may not generalize to all online interactions.

Contribution: This study contributes to digital pragmatics and intercultural communication by illuminating the nuanced role of silence in crisis discourse.

Keywords:
1. Crisis Communication
2. Cross-cultural
3. Digital Silence
4. Group Chat
5. Pragmatics
Authors:
Ahmed Subhi Abdullah
Tikrit University, Iraq
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How to Cite
Abdullah, A. S. (2025). Digital silence as a pragmatic strategy: An intercultural qualitative study of online group chats in crisis situations. Journal of Social, Humanity, and Education, 5(4), 349–357. https://doi.org/10.35912/jshe.v5i3.3188
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Issue & Section
Vol. 5 No. 4 (2025): August
Articles
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  2. Brown, P., & Levinson, S. C. (1987). Politeness: Some universals in language usage (Vol. 4): Cambridge university press.
  3. Chan, W. Y., & Matsuura, H. (2022). Revisiting Grice in the age of social media: Implicature and silence in digital group chats. Journal of Pragmatic Digital Studies.
  4. Dakoru, A. F. (2025). SILENCE IN THE AGE OF INSTANT MESSAGING: A PRAGMATIC ANALYSIS OF NON-RESPONSE AND DELAYED COMMUNICATION IN NIGERIA. ÉKWÉ J?NAL, 18(2).
  5. El-Masry, N., & Yoon, J. (2021). Crisis silence on WhatsApp: Digital pragmatics in Arab and Korean group chats. Media and Language, 19(2), 101–118.
  6. Garcés-Conejos Blitvich, P., & Bou-Franch, P. (2019). Introduction to analyzing digital discourse: New insights and future directions. Analyzing digital discourse: New insights and future directions, 3-22. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92663-6_1
  7. Goldstein, D. E. (1987). Perspectives on Silence: JSTOR.
  8. Grice, H. P. (1975). Logic and conversation.
  9. Gudykunst, W. B., & Nishida, T. (1986). Attributional confidence in low-and high-context cultures. Human communication research, 12(4), 525-549. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2958.1986.tb00090.x
  10. Hayati, D., & Sinha, S. (2024). Decoding Silence in Digital Cross-Cultural Communication: Overcoming Misunderstandings in Global Teams. Language, Technology, and Social Media, 2(2), 128-144. doi:https://doi.org/10.70211/ltsm.v2i2.60
  11. Herring, S. (2007). A faceted classification scheme for computer-mediated discourse. Language@ internet, 4.
  12. Hofstede, G. (2021). Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organizations across nations (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
  13. Ibrahim, A. S. (2021). From Tannen to TikTok: The evolution of conversational silence in online platforms. Journal of Interactional Linguistics, 29(3), 203–220.
  14. Ide, S., & Ehlich, K. (2005). Politeness in language: Studies in its history, theory and practice: Mouton de Gruyter.
  15. Jaworski, A. (1997). Silence. Mouton de Gruyter.
  16. Jaworski, A., & Coupland, N. (1999). Silence Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Mouton de Gruyter.
  17. Locher, M. A., & Graham, S. L. (2010). Interpersonal pragmatics (Vol. 6): Walter de Gruyter.
  18. Nakane, I. (2006). Silence and politeness in intercultural communication in university seminars. Journal of Pragmatics - J PRAGMATICS, 38, 1811-1835. doi:10.1016/j.pragma.2006.01.005
  19. Nguyen, L. T. (2023). Beyond politeness: A socio-pragmatic reanalysis of silence strategies. . International Journal of Cross-Cultural Discourse, 11(1), 91–108.
  20. Park, S. H., & Chen, L. (2020). The pragmatics of non-response in crisis messaging: A cultural comparison. Journal of Digital Communication, 12(4), 288–305.
  21. Samarah, M., &, & Husein, R. (2022). Silence as a cultural and political practice in Arab online discourse. .
  22. Saville, M., & Troike. (2003). The Ethnography of Communication.
  23. Tannen, D. (2018). You're the only one I can tell: Inside the language of women's friendships: Ballantine Books.