INVESTIGATING APOLOGY APPROACHES USED BY INDONESIAN PUBLIC

FIGURES: A PRAGMATIC ANALYSIS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Ari Gusti Sundari1, Apriliyanti2

The Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teachers Training,
Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia

e-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

Abstract

Public figures often utilize social media platforms for public apologies due to their
convenience and effectiveness. While public apologies as a social phenomenon have been
thoroughly explored in the English-speaking world, there has been less focus on Indonesian
public apologies from linguists and management scientists. This paper analyzes the
apologetic speech acts of Indonesian public figures in 2020 by examining three videos
sourced from YouTube. The data was evaluated using Murphy’s (2015) framework of
formulation. The findings reveal that Indonesian public figures favor all three types of
apology strategies: explicit, conventional indirect, and non-conventional indirect.
Additionally, explanations, accounts, or excuses are the most frequently used methods to
convey their apologies, followed by expressions of lack of intent and statements of repair.

Keywords: Pragmatic, Apology, Indonesia, Youtube, Public Figures

INTRODUCTION

An apology serves not only to express regret but also plays a crucial role in managing
interpersonal relationships and repairing one’s image. A genuine apology can alleviate a
situation rather than worsen it, offering reassurance to victims and netizens while maintaining
social harmony and stability. The phenomenon of public apologies is particularly amenable to
linguistic analysis, as it presents "media texts or practices where language is implicitly or
explicitly thematized" (Johnson and Ensslin, 2007:6). Nowadays, public figures increasingly
turn to social media platforms to issue apologies, especially when the offense arises from
social media itself (Ulmer, Sellnow, & Seeger, 2013). Consequently, in response to crises or
scandals that generate controversy, public figures often choose to apologize on social media,
such as YouTube, rather than through traditional media, to mitigate negative impacts.
Launched in 2005, YouTube has emerged as a major platform for online video sharing and
information exchange, with billions of users globally engaging with their audiences to
promote themselves and cultivate positive images.

Various perspectives and findings regarding apologies have been explored by linguists
and management scholars. Much of the linguistic research on apologies focuses on their
composition and categorization of pragmatic strategies (Olshtain & Cohen, 1983; Holmes,
1990; Trosborg, 1995). Empirical studies have also been conducted to analyze apologies as
speech acts across different cultures and languages, seeking to identify universal patterns
(Shahrokhi & Jan, 2012; Kadar, Ning, & Ran, 2018). In the management domain, researchers
examine the effects and strategies of apologies as tools for image repair (Kampf, 2009).
Benoit identified five broad categories of image repair strategies and analyzed apologies
made by corporations, politicians, and celebrities in traditional media (Benoit, 1997).
Building on his theory, scholars have also investigated apologies shared on Twitter and
YouTube (Page, 2014; Sandlin & Gracyalny, 2018).

The study of apologies began in the early 1980s, with Owen (1983) examining them
through a Goffmanian lens as a type of traditional action, particularly a refinement of
interaction. Recently, apology research has gained significance in linguistics, especially
within pragmatics. Scholars have approached apologies from various angles, including face
concepts, politeness principles, and speech act theory (Searle, 1979; Leech, 1983; Goffman,
1959). Brown and Levinson (1987) noted that an apology can be classified as a face-
threatening act; after damaging the hearer's face wants, the speaker must apologize, which in
turn affects the apologizer's desire for acceptance.

Numerous researchers have explored the pragmatic strategies involved in apologies,

conducting various empirical studies and surveys to support their theories. Scholars have
developed a foundational set of strategies, known as semantic formulas, used individually or
in combination to analyze apologies. Olshtain and Cohen (1983) identified five potential
semantic formulas that may be employed when the offending party agrees to apologize: first,
an expression of apology; second, an explanation or account of the situation; third, an
acknowledgment of responsibility; fourth, an offer of repair; and fifth, a promise of
forbearance.

These semantic formulas have served as a fundamental framework for studying

interpersonal apologies across different speakers, cultures, and languages (Cohen & Olshtain,
1981, in Olshtain & Cohen, 1983). One of the most influential studies in this area is Blum-
Kulka and Olshtain’s Cross-Cultural Study of Speech Act Realization Patterns (CCSARP),
which focused on requests and apologies and has significantly shaped subsequent research on
the subject. In their study, Blum-Kulka and Olshtain noted that "the most direct realization of
an apology is done via an explicit illocutionary force indicating device," but that apologies
can also "be realized by reference to a set of specified propositions," either instead of or in
addition to using an explicit indicator (1984).

These categorizations are both engaging and comprehensive. For example, Page
(2014) utilized this framework in his research on corporate/customer apology interactions on
Twitter, while Hargie, Stapleton, and Tourish (2010) analyzed apologies made by bank CEOs
in the UK House of Commons following the 2008 Banking Crisis. Murphy (2014, 2015) also
examined political apologies from British MPs in the same setting, all of which built upon the
semantic formulas outlined by Murphy (2015).

However, there is a notable lack of studies focusing on the strategies used in

Indonesian apologies, with specific patterns remaining underexplored. Research on apologies
in the Indonesian language is significantly limited compared to studies in English and other
languages. Wouk argues that to fully investigate cross-cultural differences in the language of
apology, further studies are necessary, incorporating both more controlled and more
naturalistic data on Indonesian apologies (Wouk, 2006). Although her use of the Discourse
Completion Task (DCT) in studying Lombok Indonesian apologies may lack naturalness, it
still provides insights into Indonesian apologetic practices. This study aims to enhance the
pragmatic understanding of Indonesian apologies, making it essential to investigate apologies
made by Indonesian public figures on YouTube to analyze their pragmatic strategies. The
goal is to explore the apology strategies used by these figures during crises to mitigate
negative impacts and restore their positive image. Specifically, this study seeks to determine
how the established categorization and formulas apply to Indonesian apologies.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This study examined the textual analysis by breaking down each text clause by clause
and analyzing its linguistic features. The sample consisted of three video apologies from
YouTube, featuring four public figures known on social media, including a YouTuber, an
influencer, and a beauty vlogger. The individuals analyzed were GA, IK, U, and K, all of
whom have channels with millions of subscribers. Their videos were chosen because they
garnered millions of views but later sparked controversy among Indonesian netizens. In this
research, we employed Murphy’s framework of apology strategy (2014, 2015), as illustrated
in Table 1.

Table 1 Apology Strategy (Murphy, 2015)

Broad Category Sub-category (Individual Category)

A. Explicit Expression A1 A formative IFID
Apology A2 A Commissive with “apology” as direct object
B. Conventional (indirect) B1 An expression of Regret
apology formula B2 A request for acceptance of
apology/forgiveness
B3 A statement of Desire

B4 A Statement of Obligation

C. Non-conventional Indirect C1 Explanation, account, and excuse Accepting

apology strategy C2 the blame
C3 Expressing self-deficiency

C4 Recognizing of H as entitled to apology

C5 Expressing lack of intent

 C6 An offer/statement of repair/redress

C7 A statement of non-recurrence/forbearance
Additionally, the second researcher transcribed the statements made by the figures in
the videos. Once the transcription was completed, the next step was data analysis, which was
divided into three stages: analyzing each apology text, independently coding each text, and
comparing the texts within each apology type to identify patterns in strategy use. The
outcomes of this analysis are discussed in the findings and discussion sections. Lastly, the
texts were compared across different apology types to explore the overall apology strategies
employed.

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

After collecting and analyzing the data, it is evident that the three figures in this study
employed multiple strategies to convey their apologies to the public. The apology strategies
for each video are presented here, followed by a summary of the apology strategies used by
Indonesian public figures.

Strategy Apology of Video 1 (GA)

GA is an Indonesian actress who began her career in a direct-to-video series in 2006.
By August 2020, she had nearly 3 million subscribers. The controversy arose when she
invited celebrity IK to her podcast and questioned her about lifestyle choices during the
pandemic. The guest's response contradicted government guidelines, which recommended
wearing masks and practicing good hygiene. This sparked significant discussion, as it
appeared that the host was encouraging her audience to disregard the established rules during
such a critical time. Consequently, GA issued an apology for the YouTube content she
uploaded in May 2020. She began her apology by greeting her audience with "Selamat sore,"
meaning good afternoon, before introducing herself and mentioning her accomplishments and
the genuine intention behind her content.

“Saya Gxxx Axxx sebagai content creator, saya telah menghasilkan ratusan video.
selalu saya sampaikan bahwa tujuannya adalah mengedukasi dan menginspirasi.”
(I’m Gxx Axx, as a content creator, I have made hundreds of videos. I always
mention that the purpose is to educate and to inspire)

In particular, she identified herself as a content creator and highlighted her

achievements to demonstrate her awareness of her role as a public figure. She then clarified
that the aim of her video was to promote positive exposure. At the start of her speech, she
employed an explanation along with an expression of lack of intent strategy.

“Dari ratusan konten timbullah satu konten yang dianggap banyak orang tidak
bersimpati atau tidak menghargai apa yang terjadi saat ini. Dengan segala
kerendahan hati saya memohon maaf kepada seluruh orang yang merasa
tersinggung, marah ataupun bersedih atas konten yang saya upload. Saya mau
minta maaf.”
(Among those hundred pieces of content, there was one that many perceived as lacking
sympathy or disrespectful to the current situation. I sincerely apologize to anyone who felt
offended, angry, or saddened by what I uploaded. I want to express my regret.)
Her earlier explanation served to highlight that only a small portion of her YouTube content
caused discomfort to the audience, and she expressed her remorse. She used a clear
expression of apology, a commissive apology with a direct object, followed by a performative
Illocutionary Force Indicating Device (IFID).

“Saya sadar betul bahwa sekarang kita sedang bersama-sama memerangi covid-19.
Tidak pernah sekalipun ada niatan saya untuk meremehkan atau menganggap enteng
pandemi ini.”
(I’m really aware that we are fighting covid-19 together. There is no intention to
underestimate this pandemic)

She provided further explanation to reinforce her apology by sharing her collective
experiences as someone who is also a survivor of the pandemic, followed by an expression of
lack of intent.

“Saya telah mentake down video saya agar tidak berkepanjangan. Sekali lagi atas
hati yang tersakiti, saya memohon maaf.”
(I have taken down the video to prevent any further problems. Once again, for the
hurt, I apologize)

As a gesture of amends, she stated that she had removed the video to help improve the
situation, followed by a commissive apology with a direct object.

“Semoga dengan kejadian ini, saya menjadi content creator yang lebih memberikan
manfaat lagi dan menjadi manusia yang lebih baik lagi. Terima kasih.”
 (Hopefully, by this event, I’d be more useful content creator and became a better
person. Thank you)

In conclusion, she wrapped up her apology with a statement of non-recurrence or

forbearance. Therefore, she chose to provide more explanation in her apology rather than
relying on other strategies.

Strategy Apology of Video 2 (IK and U)

She is a YouTuber recognized as a funny beauty vlogger, frequently creating engaging
and distinctive content. As a beauty vlogger, she has garnered a dedicated fanbase, with her
YouTube channel boasting over 2.6 million subscribers. IK is also well-known as a celebrity,
having reached one million followers on Instagram. In addition to actively posting videos on
YouTube and appearing on Instagram, she maintains a presence on other social media
platforms like TikTok and Ask.fm.
In May 2020, she appeared as a guest on GA’s YouTube channel. She was lively and
engaging throughout the podcast. When asked about her daily activities during the pandemic,
her response surprisingly contradicted government guidelines on health protocols, which
included staying home, practicing the "3 M" (wearing masks properly, washing hands with
running water, and maintaining social distance) as outlined by the Ministry of Health of the
Republic of Indonesia (2020).
As a result, many netizens felt uneasy with her comments, which seemed to disregard
these protocols. A few days later, she was invited to Deddy Corbuzier's YouTube channel to
clarify her statements and issue an apology, accompanied by her husband, U. Here are their
statements:
“Pokoknya abis kejadian ini aku mau lebih banyak belajar. Aku mau minta maaf
sama semuanya.”
(After this event, I just want to learn more. I want to apologize to all of you)

She started her apology with statement of repair followed by direct expression of
apology. Visually, she cried while spoken the statement, but we focused on the speech
production. Probably it could emphasize to what she said and exposing more about the
expression of regret.

“Aku ngga tau aku bakal terjadi kaya gini omongan aku bakal jadi gini aku tuh ga
tau. Aku sama sekali bukan untuk meremehkan tenaga medis, engga.” (I didn’t know
 it would be like this, my speech, I didn’t expect, I didn’t know. I didn’t mean to
underestimate the medic)
She then expressed a lack of intent, acknowledging that the listener (H) was deserving
of an apology. Specifically, she directed her comments to the medical staff, as she recognized
them as the frontline workers confronting the pandemic.
“Emang pure. bener kata kalian aku bodoh jadi di video itu aku bodoh aku ngomong
ga dipikirin dulu itu bener banget. aku sama sekali nggak nolak kalian ngatain aku
tuh engga karena aku tau disitu aku salah.”
(Purely, I was stupid as you said, so in that video I was stupid. I didn’t weight my
words. That was true.)

She took responsibility for her statements and acknowledged the criticism from
netizens. She described her own shortcomings by saying, “aku bodoh” (I was stupid). She
admitted that she would not dispute the accusations and recognized her mistake.
“Pokoknya aku mau minta maaf dan kalian jangan dengerin omongan aku yang itu
karena sebenernya aku pun pake masker dan aku tuh juga di tas aku tuh aku selalu
bawa tisu basah yang ada alkohol alkoholnya gitu aku selalu bawa jadi omongan aku
disitu bener bener ngawur banget.”
(I just want to apologize, and you don’t listen to what I said because the fact was, I
wear mask, and in my bag, I always bring wet tissue containing alcohol. I always
bring it, so my speech at that time was really messed up.)

She proceeded with a direct expression of apology, accompanied by an explanation

that she adhered to the rules by wearing masks and carrying wet tissues everywhere. She
described her earlier remarks as a slip of the tongue and expressed her regret about it.
“Aku mau minta maaf bener-bener minta maaf sama kalian semua jangan ikutin
omongan aku yang itu please kalian jaga kesehatan terus juga selalu pake masker
dan selalu jaga kebersihan.”
(I want to apologize. Truly apologize to all of you and don’t follow my speech. Please
keep your health and always wear mask and always keep clean.)

She concluded her apology by reinforcing her direct expression of regret. She
genuinely felt sorry and ultimately offered a statement of repair. In her apology strategies, she
emphasized accepting blame and making an offering. Meanwhile, U, as IK's husband, also
issued an apology to netizens. He stated, “Kita tuh cuma kaya begitu ada PSBB disuruh
dirumah ya kita kan sama sama tau kan ya YouTuber kerjanya di rumah.”

“We only did that during the lockdown (PSBB) when we were asked to stay home, as we all
know YouTubers work from home.”

Initially, he identified himself as a YouTuber and mentioned that he followed the

rules, explaining how YouTubers create content. “Semua konten gua itu gua setiap hari
ngupload selama bulan ramadan dan dia juga, itu semuanya dirumah.”
“I uploaded all my content every day during Ramadan, and so did she. It was all made from
home.”

Then he gave more explanation to strengthen his previous statement.

“McD Sarinah aja yang itu emang gua juga ga ngerti kenapa gua kepikiran kaya
gitu dan itu salah, jangan ditiru ya guys ya.”
(McD Sarinah was the only one, I didn’t have a clue why I did it and it was wrong.
Please guys don’t do it.)

He mentioned a specific location because he had encountered an issue there. He

attended the closing ceremony of McDonald’s Sarinah during the pandemic.

“Jadi dikesempatan kali ini juga gua Gxxx Sxx biasa dikenalnya Uxx juga mau minta
maaf untuk masyarakat yang merasa diresahkan baik oleh istri gua atau pun juga gua
gitu ya dengan sangat rendah hati gua minta maaf untuk semuanya.” (So, in this
opportunity. I’m Gxx Sxx, commonly known as Uxx, want to apologize to people who
offended by my wife and me. I humbly want to apologize to all of you.)

In this instance, he introduced himself and employed a direct expression of apology to

reinforce his wife's apology.

“Pokoknya apa yang dibilang sama Ixx yang itu salah jangan ditiru kalian harus
tetep ini bener-bener kaya kalian tuh harus bener-bener stay healthy, stay clean
dirumah gitu kan.”
 (No matter what Ixx said it was wrong, please don’t do that. I mean it. You have to
keep healthy and stay at home.)

He concluded his apology with an offering strategy, similar to his wife’s approach.
Overall, he relied more on explanations in his apology than on other strategies.

Strategy Apology of Video 3 (K)

K is an Indonesian YouTuber and Instagram celebrity, recognized for her innovative
makeup tutorials that use balloons as a substitute for beauty blenders. By July 2020, her
YouTube channel had surpassed 1 million subscribers. She began sharing her makeup tutorial
content, which she refers to as "beauty vlogger," on April 1, 2018. K has spoken about facing
criticism for her stocky build and height but was determined to create videos showing that
anyone can be beautiful.

On May 29, 2020, she released a music video titled "Keke bukan Boneka," which
quickly climbed to the top of the charts on YouTube Indonesia, accumulating over 12 million
views by July 2020. However, the video was removed the same day due to a copyright claim,
as part of the lyrics was found to be similar to Rinni Wulandari's song "Aku bukan boneka,"
composed by Novi Umar. K previously stated that she did not anticipate the similarity.

She apologized via the Dunia Manji YouTube Channel to all stakeholders who were
against the song's release. On June 5, 2020, the video clip was made available again on
YouTube, garnering 42 million views. Here are her apology statements:

“Bukan, bukan masalah kaya gitu. Lah aku itu kan pas waktu menciptakan lagu itu
kan mantan aku kan gini kan “kau bukan boneka” ini apa gitu loh kaya ngeledek gitu
kan. Ngeledek kecil kecilan gitu kan.”
(No. Not like that. When I create the song, my ex said “You’re not a doll”
“What was that” I said. Just like a joke)

She began her apology by expressing denial, then elaborated on her experiences that
led to the creation of the song. She employed an explanation strategy in her apology.

“Terus ya gimana kalau misalnya aku buat puisi atau kata kata gitu, terus habis tuh
buat kata kata pas waktu di studio gitukan aku kan dulu kursus ukulele tuh kursus
ukulele habis itu dibuatin aransemen dan ya buat lagu gitu loh jadi lagu gitu loh.”
(Then, how if I write a poem or words and then in the studio, previously i took
ukulele’s course, then the arrangement was made then became a song)
 She elaborated further on the reasons behind the song, utilizing additional explanation
strategies in this part of her apology.

“Aku ngga tau kalau misalnya lagunya itu hampir mirip aku juga ngga tau gitu loh.
Ko tiba tiba kaya gitu aku jujur aku ngga tau tapi kalau misalkan aku ada salahnya
aku minta maaf kaya gitu aja. Aku minta maaf banget.”
(I didn’t know if the song was similar. I didn’t know. It’s so sudden. Honestly, I didn’t
know but if I was wrong, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.)

Then she used expression of lack of intention, and it followed by conventional indirect
apology strategy using a statement of obligation.

“Aku bukan berniatan buruk atau kaya ambil lagu orang atau kaya gimana hak cipta
orang aku ambil, bukan aku tuh cuma niat buat lagu dan bener bener ga tau kalau
lagunya itu sama kaya gitu loh.”
(I had no bad intention or took someone’s song or claimed the other’s copyright. No. I
just wanted to make a song and I had no clue if the song is similar.)

In the end, she used expressions of lack of intent to strengthen the statement. She
preferred to use expression of lack of intent strategy followed by explanation, account, and
excuse in her apology.

From the three videos, they were expressed through social media either YouTube
channel or Podcast. GA expressed her apology on her podcast while the other two YouTubers
decided to apologize when interviewed by other YouTubers.

Table 2 Explicit Strategy of Apology

Category Sub-category Excerpt from the videos

Explicit A1 A formative IFID Pokoknya aku mau minta maaf (IK)
Expression (I just want to apologize)
A2 A Commissive
Apology Dengan segala kerendahan hati saya memohon
with “apology”
maaf kepada seluruh orang yang merasa
as direct object
tersinggung, marah ataupun bersedih atas konten
yang saya upload. (GA)
 (Modestly, I apologize to all those who feel
offended, angry or sad about the content that I6
uploaded)

The explicit strategy of apology can be found on IK and GA. They explicitly said
“minta maaf” or “memohon maaf” (I beg apology, or I apologize) from what they have done,
as seen in Table 2.

Table 3 Indirect Strategy of Apology

Category Sub-category Excerpt from the videos

Conventional B1 An expression of -
(indirect) B2 Regret A request for Sekali lagi atas hati yang tersakiti, saya
apology acceptance of memohon maaf.
formula apology/forgiveness (GA)
(Once again for the hurt, I apologize)
B3 A statement of Desire -

B4 A Statement of Aku minta maaf kalau misalnya aku salah

Obligation karena lagunya mirip (K)
(I am so sorry, if I am wrong, (because) the
songs are quite similar)

Moreover, GA and K showed conventional-indirect strategy in their apology. To be specific,

they were in the category of request for acceptance and statement of obligation. It can be seen
in Table 4.

Table 4 Non-conventional Indirect Strategy of Apology

Broad Sub -category Exce rpt f rom the Videos

Categor y

Non- C1 Explanation, Karena sebenernya aku pun pake masker dan aku
conventional account, andtuh juga di tas aku tuh aku slalu bawa tisu basah
Indirect excuse yang ada alkohol alkoholnya gitu aku selalu bawa
apology (IK)
strategy (The truth was I used mask, and I always bring wet
 tissue containing alcohol. I always bring it.)
C2 Accepting theEmang pure. bener kata kalian aku bodoh jadi di
blame video itu aku bodoh aku ngomong ga dipikirin dulu
itu bener banget. (IK)
(Purely, I was stupid as you said, so in that video i
was stupid. I didn’t weight my words. That was
true.)
C3 Expressing self- -
deficiency
C4 Recognizing of HAku sama sekali bukan untuk meremehkan tenaga
as entitled tomedis, engga. (IK)
apology (I didn’t mean to underestimate the medic)
C5 Expressing lackAku ga pernah mikirin untuk menjiplak karya orang
of lain atau kaya gimana gitu ga pernah ada niatan.
intent (K)
(I didn’t think to copy other’s creation or whatsoever. I have no
intention)

C6 An Saya telah mentake down video saya agar tidak

offer/statement ofberkepanjangan. (GA) (I have taken down the video
repair/redress to prevent any further problems.)
C7 A statement of Semoga dengan kejadian ini, saya menjadi content
nonrecurrence/ creator yang lebih memberikan manfaat lagi dan
forbearance menjadi manusia yang lebih baik. Terima kasih.
(GA)
(Hopefully, by this event, I’d be more useful content
creator and became a better person. Thank you)

Regarding the non-conventional indirect strategy, all public figures utilized this
category to express their apologies, albeit in different manners. IK offered explanations,
accepted blame, and acknowledged the medical staff, recognizing them as deserving of her
apology. K employed a lack of intent as part of her indirect apology strategy. For K,
removing the video from YouTube was a way to seek the public's forgiveness. Lastly, GA
articulated a statement of non-recurrence to convey her public apology.
Sub-category GA IK U K Total
A1 A performative IFID 1 1 - 1 3
A2 A commissive 1 2 2 5
B1 An expression of - - - - -
regrets
B2 A request for 1 - - 1 2
forgiveness
B3 A statement of desire - - - - -
B4 A statement of - - - 3 3
obligation
C1 Explanation, account, and 4 1 3 5 13
excuse
C2 Accepting the blame - 3 - - 3
C3 Expressing self- - - - - -
deficiency
C4 Recognizing of H as - 1 - 1 2
entitled to apology
C5 Expressing lack of 2 1 - 7 10
intent
C6 An offer/statement of 1 3 1 1 6
repair/redress
C7 A statement of 1 - - - 1
nonrecurrence/forbearance
Total 48

In conclusion, the most common apology strategy used by Indonesian public figures
was the non-conventional indirect strategy. Expressing a lack of intent and providing
explanations are their methods for seeking public forgiveness. By doing so, they hope the
public will better understand the situations they face and grant them forgiveness.

Social media enables public figures to maintain their popularity. When netizens notice
violations of societal norms or moral values, they also turn to social media to express their
apologies. Due to its extensive reach, social media serves as a platform for conveying
apologies to audiences, especially when the offense originates from these platforms (Ulmer,
Sellnow, & Seeger, 2013).

CONCLUSION
This article examined the apology strategies employed by Indonesian public figures
on YouTube. It was found that explanations, accounts, or excuses—classed as non-
conventional indirect apologies—were the most frequently used strategies, followed by
expressions of lack of intent and offers/statements of repair. Public figures tend to combine
three or four strategies in their apologies.

We recognize that this study has several limitations due to the small dataset analyzed.
As more people turn to online sources for news, the criterion of reporting apologies
specifically on YouTube or any media may have unduly restricted the number of apologies
considered. YouTube was the only social media platform analyzed for specific videos, while
other platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Twitch also facilitate online video sharing.

To expand on this research, future studies could focus on public reception of

apologies and analyze how public apologies are represented in mainstream media, as well as
the impact of these representations on the perceived effectiveness of the apologies.
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