INDIRECT MEANING IN FERRY IRWANDI’S INSTAGRAM CAPTIONS: “NGGAK ADA YANG NAMANYA MAKAN BERGIZI GRATIS”

Abstract

This study investigates the intricate construction and socio-political functions of indirect meaning within the digital discourse of Indonesian influencer Ferry Irwandi. By integrating a multi-layered theoretical framework comprising Searle’s Speech Act Theory, Grice’s Theory of Conversational Implicature, and Fairclough’s Three-Dimensional Model of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). This study explores how linguistic choices facilitate the negotiation of power and ideology in high-stakes digital environments. Data were purposively sampled from specific Instagram posts, meticulously analyzing the intertextual relationship between visual graphics and long-form captions. The findings reveal that indirect meanings are systematically realized through a sophisticated blend of evaluative language, hedging, and suggestive expressions. Pragmatically, the subject frequently flouts the Gricean Maxim of Quantity through rhetorical repetition to generate implicatures that challenge the feasibility of populist social programs without resorting to direct political confrontation. These strategies enable the influencer to exert subtle influence over audience perceptions while maintaining a persona of intellectual politeness and professional neutrality. At the macro-social level, these pragmatic maneuvers serve a dual purpose: constructing an ideological position of Economic Realism as a counter-hegemonic response to 2026 political populism and facilitating the commodification of critical discourse. This study concludes that digital indirectness is a strategic instrument used by "knowledge brokers" to bridge academic theory with the attention economy, ultimately converting ideological alignment into commercial action.