A PRAGMA-STYLISTICS ANALYSIS OF DEIXIS AND IMAGERY IN @SIMPLEMAN DIGITAL HORROR THREADS

Abstract

This study examines the role of deixis and imagery in creating a horror atmosphere and preserving narrative coherence in digital horror stories uploaded on the @SimpleMan Twitter account in 2024. Using a qualitative descriptive approach, the research focuses on three purposively selected horror threads containing significant pragmatic and stylistic features. Deixis is analyzed through Yule’s (2022) framework, while imagery is identified based on Nurgiyantoro’s (2019) classification. The data were gathered through observation and documentation by identifying utterances containing person, spatial, and temporal deixis alongside visual, auditory, sensory/olfactory, and motion imagery. The results indicate that personal deixis, especially third-person references, appear most frequently with 30 occurrences, reflecting the narrator’s preference for a third-person viewpoint to sustain plot continuity and emotional distance. Spatial deixis occurs 7 times and mainly directs readers toward unsettling settings, whereas temporal deixis appears only once to highlight an important event. Regarding imagery, visual imagery dominates with 23 occurrences, enabling vivid mental representation of scenes and characters. Auditory imagery appears 9 times and strengthens the frightening atmosphere through sounds such as whispers, footsteps, and laughter. Sensory and olfactory imagery occur 8 times, intensifying immersion by stimulating touch and smell sensations, while motion imagery appears once to reinforce suspenseful actions. The findings demonstrate that deixis and imagery work together to shape perspective, stimulate sensory responses, and maintain tension within the limited format of Twitter threads, thereby enriching contemporary digital storytelling discourse.