Negotiating Language Attitudes Toward the British Accent in Indonesian Tiktok Comments: A Digital Ethnography

Abstract

The popularity of short video applications transforms language learning beyond what traditional classrooms offer. Despite linguistic authority being investigated, its reconfiguration through digital interaction remains underexplored. Specifically, regarding the mechanisms through which netizens in non-native contexts perceive elite linguistic standards through participative digital performances. This study adopts digital ethnography in the context of comment interactions on an Indonesian TikTok creator's pronunciation video to address the gaps. There is a paradox among netizens who manifest British as prestige, yet it simultaneously triggers a sense of linguistic insecurity. This is reflected as netizens perceive its elite status as a barrier rather than an attainable goal. Humor functions as an affective learning strategy that lowers the affective filter. The participants engage with the more complex phonetic nuances of the language through humor. Netizens domesticate the elitism of Received Pronunciation (RP). They re-negotiate linguistic identity and authority by grounding these distant standards within the familiar phonological and cultural systems of other languages. The comment section emerges as an informal participatory learning space. This study further investigates the way a non-native creator establishes legitimacy as a language authority in this community. Integrating digital platforms into pronunciation teaching, encouraging learner confidence, and recognizing informal online spaces as part of lifelong learning ecosystems are considerable in this digital age.