Have you wondered how to express positive politeness on the internet? Read this article to find out how!
It’s no secret that the internet contains a lot of negative content and interactions. The comments sections on Youtube videos have become somewhat infamous for being a cesspool of negativity, with users often criticizing and insulting those who have different opinions than they do.
With this in mind, you might be surprised to learn that it isn’t all bad in the Youtube comments sections. In fact, depending on where you look, you can find a fair amount of positive interaction. One of the most encouraging experiences I’ve had on the internet in recent memory was finding a plethora of examples of positive politeness in the comments section of different Youtube videos.
What Is Positive Politeness?
The linguistic concept of positive politeness was first investigated by the linguists Brown and Levinson in 1987, who describe positive politeness as “redress directed to the addressee’s positive face, his perennial desire that his wants . . . should be thought of as desirable” (p.101). In other words, it is an appeal to the human desire to have one’s purposes (or “wants”) be appreciated, admired and seen as desirable. Positive politeness seeks to increase self-esteem in others, and is often expressed in various ways:
How Did I Research Positive Politeness on YouTube?
To find examples of positive politeness on YouTube, I examined the comments sections of a video from each of my two favorite Youtube creators, videogamedunkey and Vsauce. (Note that the language used on videogamedunkey may not be appropriate for viewers of all ages). Specifically, I gathered 60 of the most recent comments on these two channels (30 each) that I considered as positive.
I then analyzed the ways in which positive politeness was expressed in these comments. Specifically, I was most interested in compliments, so I focused my analysis on that politeness strategy. Once I found the compliments in the comments, I also looked for themes within them. The themes I looked for were compliments about the purposes of these two sites: compliments about the humorous nature of videogamedunkey’s content, and compliments about the educational nature of Vsauce’s content.
When these content creators make videos, they have a certain purpose in mind. Videogamedunkey seems to want to make people laugh, as his videos are most often comedic-informative in nature.Vsauce makes lots of videos about cool mathematical and scientific theories and phenomenons, so he seems to want to provide a fun educational experience. By coding compliments about these purposes, I was able to see whether the creators were achieving their purposes.
Are These Content Creators Achieving Their Purposes?
As seen in the figures below, most of the positive politeness in these comments sections was expressed through compliments, with people saying what they liked about the videos and why they were grateful towards the creators for making them.
Graphics by Richard Beazer
Specifically, of the 30 comments on videogamedunkey’s content, 16 of them (53%) complimented the humorous nature of his content. Of the 30 comments on Vsauce’s content, 20 of them (67%) complimented the educational nature of his content. Given that the majority of the compliments focused on the purpose behind the videos, these creators seem to be achieving their purposes.
Here are some examples:
On videogamedunkey’s channel, one user said “I have seen this video so many times and it still makes me laugh, you are the best dunkey,” and another user said “You make me laugh literally out loud every time thank you for this top quality entertainment =D.”
On Vsauce’s channel, one user said “Hi Michael sir , you are one of the greatest teachers of all time the way you explain things has really helped me think correctly in many things ! Thank you for giving your knowledge to us. Yours faithfully, Bhavya,” and another user said “this is the most beautiful and clear explanation for angular moment, as well as clarification for physical laws, that I have ever seen.”
What Does This Teach Us?
From this data, we learn that complimenting creators on their hard work is a common way of expressing positive politeness in Youtube comments. With that in mind, if you want to spread positivity online, you can ask yourself, “What are the creators trying to accomplish with this video?” and then let them know that they were successful in doing so. I’d love to hear in the comments how it goes for you!
Positive Politeness on YouTube
Have you wondered how to express positive politeness on the internet? Read this article to find out how!
It’s no secret that the internet contains a lot of negative content and interactions. The comments sections on Youtube videos have become somewhat infamous for being a cesspool of negativity, with users often criticizing and insulting those who have different opinions than they do.
With this in mind, you might be surprised to learn that it isn’t all bad in the Youtube comments sections. In fact, depending on where you look, you can find a fair amount of positive interaction. One of the most encouraging experiences I’ve had on the internet in recent memory was finding a plethora of examples of positive politeness in the comments section of different Youtube videos.
What Is Positive Politeness?
The linguistic concept of positive politeness was first investigated by the linguists Brown and Levinson in 1987, who describe positive politeness as “redress directed to the addressee’s positive face, his perennial desire that his wants . . . should be thought of as desirable” (p.101). In other words, it is an appeal to the human desire to have one’s purposes (or “wants”) be appreciated, admired and seen as desirable. Positive politeness seeks to increase self-esteem in others, and is often expressed in various ways:
Entrepreneur blogger Gini Dietrich reports that “giving positive feedback boosts morale, instills confidence, and motivates [people] to do their best.” I most commonly experience this in my own life when people laugh at my jokes. Receiving this response lets me know that I achieved my purpose in telling a joke and brightens my day.
How Did I Research Positive Politeness on YouTube?
To find examples of positive politeness on YouTube, I examined the comments sections of a video from each of my two favorite Youtube creators, videogamedunkey and Vsauce. (Note that the language used on videogamedunkey may not be appropriate for viewers of all ages). Specifically, I gathered 60 of the most recent comments on these two channels (30 each) that I considered as positive.
I then analyzed the ways in which positive politeness was expressed in these comments. Specifically, I was most interested in compliments, so I focused my analysis on that politeness strategy. Once I found the compliments in the comments, I also looked for themes within them. The themes I looked for were compliments about the purposes of these two sites: compliments about the humorous nature of videogamedunkey’s content, and compliments about the educational nature of Vsauce’s content.
When these content creators make videos, they have a certain purpose in mind. Videogamedunkey seems to want to make people laugh, as his videos are most often comedic-informative in nature.Vsauce makes lots of videos about cool mathematical and scientific theories and phenomenons, so he seems to want to provide a fun educational experience. By coding compliments about these purposes, I was able to see whether the creators were achieving their purposes.
Are These Content Creators Achieving Their Purposes?
As seen in the figures below, most of the positive politeness in these comments sections was expressed through compliments, with people saying what they liked about the videos and why they were grateful towards the creators for making them.
Graphics by Richard Beazer
Specifically, of the 30 comments on videogamedunkey’s content, 16 of them (53%) complimented the humorous nature of his content. Of the 30 comments on Vsauce’s content, 20 of them (67%) complimented the educational nature of his content. Given that the majority of the compliments focused on the purpose behind the videos, these creators seem to be achieving their purposes.
Here are some examples:
What Does This Teach Us?
From this data, we learn that complimenting creators on their hard work is a common way of expressing positive politeness in Youtube comments. With that in mind, if you want to spread positivity online, you can ask yourself, “What are the creators trying to accomplish with this video?” and then let them know that they were successful in doing so. I’d love to hear in the comments how it goes for you!
-Richard Beazer, Netiquette
FEATURE IMAGE BY Andrea Piacquadio
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