A DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES ON INSTAGRAM

Authors

  • Sultan Arrasyid Nasution Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Negeri Mandailing Natal, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31851/kwvsfe96

Keywords:

Discourse analysis, motivational quotes, Instagram, critical discourse analysis, social media linguistics

Abstract

This study investigates the discourse structures embedded within motivational quotes circulated on Instagram, a dominant social media platform with over two billion active users worldwide. The primary objective of this research is to examine the linguistic strategies, rhetorical devices, and ideological underpinnings that characterize motivational content in digital spaces, with particular attention to how such discourse constructs social identity and promotes specific worldviews. Employing a qualitative approach grounded in Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as proposed by Norman Fairclough (1995), alongside elements of van Dijk's socio-cognitive framework, this study analyzed 60 motivational quotes purposively selected from ten prominent Indonesian and global Instagram accounts during the period of January to March 2024. Data were collected through systematic documentation and subjected to multi-layered textual and contextual analysis. The findings reveal that motivational quotes on Instagram predominantly employ imperative structures, second-person pronouns, and positive evaluative language to construct an intimate relationship between text producers and audiences. Additionally, metaphorical expressions and presupposition are frequently deployed to normalize neoliberal ideologies of individual success and self-sufficiency. This research contributes to the growing body of literature on digital discourse and social media linguistics, while also underscoring the ideological dimensions of seemingly benign motivational content.

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Published

2025-07-07