JEANED MARTHAVENA PUTRI REINNATY Pengarang SEBASTIANUS FERNANDEZ Dosen Pembimbing 1 Greis Evalinda, S.Pd., M.Pd Dosen Pembimbing 2 Elisna Huan Ketua Penguji

This research specifically examined (1) the various communicative functions of Facebook status updates and how these functions fulfilled users’ communication needs, and (2) how users utilized Facebook status updates creatively and meaningfully in their daily lives. The study applied a qualitative virtual ethnography approach, collecting data through observation and documentation of Facebook status updates over the one month. A total of 30 status updates from 10 users were analyzed. The findings revealed seven out of nine communicative functions. Social interaction (23 status updates), personal expression (22 status updates), and information (11 status updates) were the most dominant functions. Additional communicative features such as location, share your memory, and highlights, were also identified. In terms of language choices, five categories emerged: language style, emotional expression, clarity and simplicity, hashtags and tags, and context and culture. Language style (7 formal language, 19 informal language, and 4 status updates were marked as N/A), hashtags and tags (20 status updates), and emotional expression (18 status updates) appeared most frequently among these categories. These results suggest that Facebook users in Kupang use status updates not only as digital posts, but also as tools for expressing identity, building social connections, sharing information, and reflecting cultural pride, family values, and spiritual beliefs. Despite being shared in digital spaces, these updates remain closely tied to local traditions and daily life. The study highlights the creative, flexible, and meaningful ways users communicate on Facebook. However, gaps in interpretation may occur, particularly with features like emojis. Keywords: Communicative functions, Facebook, Language choices, Status updates, Virtual ethnography