THE USAGE SPECIFICATION OF REGISTERS IN SOCIAL MEDIA

INSTAGRAM

Sang Ayu Isnu Maharani, I Wayan Mulyawan

English Department, Udayana University

isnu_maharani@unud.ac.id, moelya01@gmail.com

Abstract

This research concerns with the usage specification of registers in social media as a renewable way of communication in

the millennial era. The aims of this research were identifying and mapping the usage specification of registers in social
media Instagram. It also aimed at finding find out the function of the usage specification of the registers. This research

was a combination of qualitative and quantitative research. The method applied for this research was observation method

with note-taking techniques. The method used to analyze the data was discourse analysis method. To answer the
problems formulated in this research, of Halliday’s (1994) register theory was applied.

Keywords: usage specification, register, social media, Instagram

I INTRODUCTION

caused by the existence of the special characteristics of the needs of the user, for example, it can be

found in the written language such as: an advertisement, article, pamphlet and social media. Meanwhile,

when viewed from spoken language, we can see them in political language, presentation, parody,

football commentator’s session and other verbal actions which can not be mentioned one by one.

In the development of today's society, we will easily encounter various linguistic phenomena. The
phenomena can be seen in social, alay, or slang language. Social language is the simple, informal

language we use when talking face to face with family members or friends. It allows us to use slang

terms or communicate feelings, needs and wants using symbolic hand gestures. Alay is short for anak

layangan, literally meaning “kite kid”. Alay is considered as various non-standard style expressions used

regional or almost throughout Indonesia. Meanwhile, Slang is a type of language consisting of words
and phrases that are regarded as very informal, are more common in speech than writing. It is t ypi cal l y

restricted to a particular context or group of people. Those three linguistic phenomena mentioned are

different from register due to the reason that the register is semantic concept that relates with

arrangements and context. The linguistic phenomenon that examined in this is research was the usage

specification of register in social media Instagram.
As we aware, social media is a contemporary lifestyle that is in high demand and inevitably 'forces'

people to be able to understand if they do not want to be considered old-fashioned. Social m edi a gi ves

people the opportunity to become free writers, become independent journalists, become public f igur es,

become online business people, build their self-image and there are many other things that can be done

via social media, viewed from positive perspective. Meanwhile, if we look at it from the negative si de,
it will be easier to find fraud or criminal acts such as human trafficking. P ositive and negative things, of

course, are always like two sides of coin. We realize, social media has slowly changed the mentality,

attitude, lifestyle and also the language of the people.

Language or style/variety of languages conveyed by the public through social media is a form of

renewable communication. There is still not much research viewed from the linguistic aspects. Besi des,

language is also used to carry out integration, social adaptation, tools to express self -expression and al so
social control. Language variations (registers) found on social media are inter esting things to study

because there is still limited study or research concerns with this topic. Isnu Maharani & Mulyawan

(2019) studied English registers in social media Instagram. They have explored and focused the research

in identifying the English Registers. In the following year (2020) Isnu Maharani & Mulya wan pr oceed

further research on the usage specification of registers in social media Instagram. The identification and
finding of this research is expected to be able to provide additional insight to the academic wor l d about

the dynamics of language change that is so rapidly developing in society.

Based on the above introduction, this study seeks to describe the following problems; the usage

specification of registers in social media Instagram, and the functions of the usage specification of

mailto:isnu_maharani@unud.ac.id
mailto:moelya01@gmail.com

2 | Sang Ayu Isnu Maharani, I Wayan Mulyawan Lingual (Vol. 11, No.1, 2021)

The results of this study are expected to have theoretical and practical benefits. Theoretical

benefits aim at broaden the reader's insight, in particular regarding variations in language, register in

social media Instagram. In addition, this research is expected to widen “horizon” and perspectives,

especially in the field of Sociolinguistics.

II MATERIALS AND METHODS

The data source of this study was registers of eighteen (18) accounts taken from Instagr am soci al

media within a period of three months, from January to March 2020. The period of data collection
conducted in the 2020 to give updated data for the research. The data was collected based on the

frequency of appearance of accounts of particular categories in social media Instagram. The collected

data was categorized according to the type of account seen in social media Instagram. The results of t he

categorization are presented in the form of tables and descriptions.

This study used the observation method and note-taking technique. The collected data taken f r om
posted accounts in Instagram media in the period January-March 2020.The data taken manually by

taking screen shot of every collected data. The data taken limited in the period of January-March.

Existing data was then categorized based on the usage specifications. The data that has been identified

and categorized were then tabulated in tabular form to get the percentage of usage and later described

descriptively.
This research applied discourse analysis method. This method was a study that examines or

analyzes the language used naturally, either in written or spoken form. The analysis emphasizes the

study of language use in social contexts. The discourse in question is the language used to communicate.

The usage specifications of registers found in social media Instagram were grouped and anal yzed

for the use of the language and also the function of the usage of the registers. The analysis results of t he

usage specifications were presented in tabular form. The function of the registers was described
descriptively.

III RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3.1 RESULT

This section describes the results of data analysis, namely the usage specification in Social Medi a,

Instagram from January-March 2020 period. The data obtained in the following categories:
(1) Hea lth a nd Beauty

(2) Minimarkets / supermarkets

(3) Property and Contractors

(4) Restaurant

(5) Services

(6) Convenience stores

Category Account name Number of Post Percentage

Health and Beauty Meisa Bulu Mata 29 0,03

Parlour Me Beauty

Salon

59 0,07

Mini market/Supermarket AlfaMart 88 0,11

Giant Indo 49 0,06

Indo Mart

Tip Top Super

Carefour

105

104

0,13

0,03

0,13

The Usage Specification of Registers in Social Media Instagram | 3

Property and Contractor Property&Contractor 10 0,01

Restaurant Wr.Kayu Manis

NUI Health Bowls

Dapoer Sehat

Cumi Doerr

Baliku Jamur

0,06

0,05

0,04

0,01

0,04

Services Bulu Waxing

Jualan.Lau

0,01

Shops J.Co Indo Coffee

Nitra Jaya Kebaya

100

0,02

0,12

Total 783

Table 1. Frequency of Accounts Occurrence in Social Media Instagram Period of Jan-March 2020

In category (1), accounts @Meisa Bulu and @Parlour Me Beauty Salon were found. Meisa Bulu

Mata's account consists of 29 data and Parlourme Beauty Salon consists of 59 data. The Mini m ar ket or
Supermarket categories, we can get accounts such as @AlfaMart, @Giant Indo, @IndoMart, @Tip Top

Supermarket and @Transmart Carefour. The frequency of appearance of AlfaMart accounts is 88, Giant

Indonesia is 49 data, IndoMart is 105 data. For the Advertising category: Property and Contractor, ther e

are 10 records. The restaurant category contains a total of 173 posts, which in detail are: @Warung

Kayu Manis 49 data, 41 data @NUI Healthy Bowls, @Dapoer Sehat 37 data @ Cumi Doerr there are 10
data, @Baliku Mushroom has 36 data. There are a total of 16 data categories with details found at

@Bulu Waxing hut and @Jualan Lau there are 8 data. The Shops, Barber, Coffee categories are as

follows: @ J.Co Indon Coffee Shop has 21 data and the @Nitra Jaya Kebaya account has 100 data.

3.2 DISCUSSION

Ferguson (1971) argues that registers are situations of communication that occur regularly in a

society (relating to participants, places, communicative functions, etc.) over time, which tend to develop
over time, marking the structure of language and the use of language that is different fro m the use

language in other communication situations.

A communication situation that recurs regularly in a social environment (in terms of

participants, settings, communicative functions and so forth) will tend to overtime to

develop indentifying markers of language structure and language use, different from the

language of other communication situations (Ferguson, 1971).

arrangement of meanings that is specifically connected to certain arrangements of terrain, engagem ent ,

and means. This arrangement is more familiar with context. Medan refers to what is happening or when

the action is taking place, what are actually being said by the parties involved. Involvement refer s to t he
people who take part in a conversation, the nature of the actors, their position and role. Means r ef er t o

the role taken by language in certain situations, such as pointing, explaining, and educating.

being worked on (Halliday, 1994).

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Registers or variations of language in terms of usage used in certain professions make the language

functional. Each register has a specific function. Ferguson (1971) explained that the function of registers

or language variations in terms of their use was as follows:
a . Instrumental functions, la nguage oriented to the listener or interlocutor. The la nguage used to regulate
the listener's behavior so that the interlocutor wa nts to obey or follow what is expected by the speaker or

writer. This ca n be done by using expressions that express demand, appeal or se duction

b. Interaction function, la nguage-oriented contact between parties who a re communicating. Register in

this ca se serves to establish and maintain rela tionships and show feelings of friendship or social solidarity.
The phra ses used a re usually patterned but like when meeting, getting to know, asking a bout the situation

a nd so forth.

c. Personality or personal function, la nguage oriented to speakers.

d. Problem -solving function, the la nguage contained in expressions that a sk for, a ccording to or sta te an

a nswer to a problem or problem. The expressions used in this function a re in the form of questions that

require expla nation or explanation

e. Imaginary or ima ginary functions, la nguage that is oriented towards the intent that will be conveyed by

the spea ker or writer

f. Information function, the la nguage used as a tool to provide news or informatio n so that others can

know.

From the data category above, we can temporarily see that the Mini market / supermarket account

has the highest frequency of appearance, namely the @indomart account with a total of 105 posts, whi l e

the lowest frequency is on the services @ jualan.lau account with 8 posts. The lowest category is the

services account, each consisting of 8 posts. The usage specification of registers in social media
Instagram are as follows, each category is represented by 1 data.

3.2.1 HEALTH AND BEAUTY CATEGORY

Picture 1. Health and Beauty

From the above data, we can find the use of Indonesian and English. In the visual i m age di spl ay,

the dominant color is red as the base for the shampoo, making this image look attractive. The sent ences

in English are found in:
(a ) 2020 Most Loved-Must Have Star Product

(b) Miss your fa vourite Treatment?

The sentences that appear in Indonesian language are:
(a ) Apakah anda rindu perawatan rambut kesayangan anda ? (Do you miss your favourite hair tra itment?)

(b) Kami tetap setia membantu menjaga rambut anda tetap sehat selama masa #dirumahaja (We a re still

loya l to a ssist you to keep your hair hea lthy during the period #stayathome

(d) Kami kirimkan produk kesayangan anda langsung ke rumah anda (We send your favourite products

directly to your home)

The Usage Specification of Registers in Social Media Instagram | 5

(e) Kami berikan promo ongkir apabila anda tinggal di Denpasar area (We give promotion of delivery

cha rge if you stay in Denpasar a rea)

(f) Akan kami kirimkan dalam waktu 24 jam (We will send in 24 hours)

From the description of the above sentences, we can see registers or language variations such as:
(a ) Ca ll us now

(b) We’ll deliver it to you in 24 hours

(d) Kontak kami…. (Contact us………….)

(e) Kami berikan promo ongkir….(We give promotion of delivery charge….)

(f) Kami kirimkan dalam waktu 24 jam (We send in 24 hours……..)

Some of the registers found above are marketing registers that are commonly used to attract

customers or buyers by using 2 language versions, Indonesian and English. Parlor me Beauty sal on as a

women's beauty centre delivers its products through advertising language as listed above. Register
repetitions in the presentation of Indonesian and English are found in points (a) and (d), namel y cal l us

now and contact us. Other repetitions can also be found in points (b) and (f), namely We will deliver it to

you in 24 hours and We send it within 24 hours.

3.2.2 MINIMARKET/SUPERMARKET CATEGORY

Picture 2. Minimarket/Supermarket

The above category is the mini market category, namely Indomart. The image displayed
characterized by IndoMart’s costumes and colours. The sentences that appear in the @indomart account

are as follows:
Halo sobat

Selagi #DiRumahAja jangan lupa biasakan untuk cuci tangan dengan sabun dan air mengalir, pa stikan

langkah-langkah cuci tanganmu sudah benar, ya!

Bekerja di rumah, belanja dari rumah, dengan Klik Indomart

Hi friends

While #sta y a t home do not forget to getting use to wa sh your hand with soap and running wa ter, ensure

your wa shing ha nd procedures have done correctly.

Work a t home, shop from home, with Indomart click

From the description of above sentence that appears on Instagram, several registers can be fou nd

as follows:
(a ) Dirumah aja - just sta y at home

(b) Biasakan cuci tangan - get use to wa sh your hand

(d) Belanja dari rumah - shop from home

(e) Klik Indomart - Indomart click

The register that appears on this account more emphasis on social appeals or messages to the

community. Perhaps this is a form of Indomart's participation and concern toward events that occur r ed

during this pandemic. A register with hashtag #dirumah aja is one of the viral registers in the

6 | Sang Ayu Isnu Maharani, I Wayan Mulyawan Lingual (Vol. 11, No.1, 2021)

community. During pandemic, people are limited to leave the house and suggested to do activities f r om

home, one of which is shopping from home, point (d). A new habit that is also one of the registers

during the pandemic is Biasakan cuci tangan as seen in point (b). The register that stated in point (e)

shows recommendation to conduct virtual activities; online shopping by Indomart click.

3.2.3 PROPERTY AND CONTRACTOR CATEGORY

Picture 3. Property and Contractor

The above data shows the application of English language in delivering the information. The

sentences are:
(a ) Below Ma rket Pla ce

(b) 2 Plots of la nd with ocean a nd mountain view in Ba li

(d) One of some pieces of developing tourism area in No rth of Bali

The above sentences include following registers, they are:
(a ) Below Ma rket Pla ce

(b) 2 plots of la nd

(d) One of some pieces….

Registers in English are commonly used as a form of information and product introductions
offered by the @propertyandcontractor account. The register genre in the above account is oriented

towards sales and marketing terminology and tends to be aimed at foreigners.

3.2.4 RESTAURANT CATEGORY

Picture 4. Restaurant

The image of mushrooms above is a type of information register that provides inform at i on about

food, namely the @balikujamur account. The language used is Indonesian. Several registers were found

from this account:
(a ) Hari ini baljam buka mulai jam 2 siang – Ba ljam opens a t 14.00 tommorrow afternoon

(b) Cobain order Mac and Cheese yuk – Let us try to order Mac and Cheese

(d) Isian dalam satu porsi – the filler in one portion

(e) Extra topping

The Usage Specification of Registers in Social Media Instagram | 7

(f) sa uce Macaroni, cheese, cheddar dan potato chips

Registers (a-f) are several registers showing lexical items in the culinary field. Baljam itself is al so
a register which stands for balijamur. The community then used to say baljam. Register (c) the word

rekommended is a loanword from English which is also more of a choice than the word recommended.

3.2.5 SERVICES CATEGORY

Picture 5. Services

The account of the above category shows the service category in terms of sales of Magic Lash Oi l
Laura which is displayed in bright orange shades. The registers found from the above account are

(a ) Jualan Lau – Selling La u

(b) Semagic itu kann – that magic….

3.2.6 SHOPS CATEGORY

Picture 6. Shops

The account above is taken from the shop account of Nitra Jaya, with a picture of a whi t e kebaya

suit. The registers that can be found include the followings, that are shown in Indonesian phrase or

sentences:
(a ) Promo special - special promo

(b) Hanya….. - just

(d) Berlaku di toko kapal, nusa dua dan pembelian secara online – a pplicable in ka pal’s shop, nusa dua

a nd online purchasing

(e) Berlaku mulai 30 maret sd 20 april 2020 – valid from 30 march to 20 a pril 2020

Registers (a-e) are several registers related to sales marketing. This account is in the area of a shop

that sells kebaya clothes. In order to attract consumer interest, register (a) is often used as a technique for

making sales.

3.3 THE FUNCTION OF USAGE SPECIFICATION REGISTER IN SOCIAL MEDIA INSTAGRAM

There are six types of register functions, namely instrumental, interaction, personal, problem -
solving, imagination and information functions. The results of the data analysis above are as follows:

Data 1 shows that the language function used in the account is an information function. The

information provided is an advertisement, namely about shampoo. The other register funct ions ar e not

visible in this data. Likewise, data 2 and others also show information functions. The information

8 | Sang Ayu Isnu Maharani, I Wayan Mulyawan Lingual (Vol. 11, No.1, 2021)

function shown tends to be advertising products. Data 2 is about IndoMart advertisements, data 3 is

about property sales, data 4 is information about culinary types, namely baljam, data 5 is included in t he

magic lash oil sales service category, and data 6 oriented towards selling kebaya clothes.

IV CONCLUSION

The results of data analysis showed that the usage specifications of registers found from the six

categories of accounts that appear in social media Instagram were marketing, appeals and information

registers. The marketing register was shown from the property category, and the services and store
categories. Meanwhile, the appeal register was found in the mini-market / supermarket category.

Information registers can be found in all data from existing categories. It can be found that the most 105

posts were from the service category of mini-markets / supermarkets and the data that showed the

minimum frequency of appearance of posts was from the service category.

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