ISSN: 2222-6990
Open access
Public apology by public figures has to be apologetic and properly constructed in order for it to be publicly accepted. It also requires public figures or celebrities to use the right apology strategies so that the intention of the apologies is well-received by the targeted audiences, and for the apologies to eventually be accepted. This study aims to explore the strategies used by Malaysian public figures in making apology statements through social media. Content analysis method was employed to analyse the written or verbal apologies intended to other public figures, their followers, or the netizens. It was found that the most frequent strategy used in Malaysian public figures’ apologies is Illocutionary Force Indicating Device (IFID); in which request of forgiveness strategy is the most frequent sub-strategy while expression of regret is the least frequent sub-strategy. Other notable strategies in their apologies is the strategy of acknowledging responsibility, and non-apology strategies. Interestingly, this study has also found several new apology strategies used by Malaysian public figures which include flattery, diversion, mention of fault, acceptance of punishment or criticism, thanking, and expression of hope.
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In-Text Citation: (Ismail et al., 2022)
To Cite this Article: Ismail, W. N. F. W., Zaidi, N. N. A., Rani, M. S. A., Kamarudin, S., & Abdullah, N. H. (2022). Malaysian Public Figures’ Apology Strategies. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(12), 1223 – 1238.
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