Dysphemism in Sundanese comment columns on social media news: A sociopragmatic study of the Ridwan Kamil–Lisa Mariana case (Penggunaan disfemisme dalam ruangan komen berita media sosial berbahasa Sunda: Satu kajian sosiopragmatik terhadap kes Ridwan Kamil–Lisa Mariana)

Abstract

While rapid digitalisation facilitates online cross-cultural communication, it also accelerates the proliferation of online impoliteness, particularly through the weaponisation of regional languages in political discourse. This study aims to investigate the sociopragmatic use of Sundanese-language dysphemism in social media comment sections, specifically focusing on the viral controversy involving public figures Ridwan Kamil and Lisa Mariana on Instagram. In conducting this research, we opted for a qualitative descriptive approach with purposive sampling. A final sample of 24 comments was extracted from platform X and Instagram, specifically from Ridwan Kamil’s official accounts and related trending news pages between March 2025 and August 2025, using observation and recording techniques. The data were then analysed and categorised based on Allan and Burridge’s (1991) framework of dysphemism. The results indicate that netizen responses come out as abusive language that can be put into two main groups: (1) taboo language that goes along with taboo actions, and (2) derogatory swearing. The latter frequently appears through human-to-animal comparisons, nicknames targeting physical conditions, nicknames related to mental disorders, and expressions of contempt toward an individual’s character. Practically, these insights serve as a critical reflection on digital etiquette and regional language literacy, highlighting the pressing need for character development and healthier online interaction guidelines among the younger generation. This study offers a significant contextual contribution to sociopragmatics by explicitly mapping how a regional language (Sundanese) is utilised as a tool for digital aggression within contemporary Indonesian political discourse, a domain under-explored in previous literature.