ABSTRACT
In most Indonesian urban cities, code-switching is not related to the use of regional languages but to the use of English, which is taught in schools. In addition, many city dwellers also receive exposure to the language by contact with English speakers, which may occur extensively in daily conversations. This research aims to investigate the way speakers communicate on the internet, particularly through social media. Even though virtual communication is expressed through the medium of writing, it still has features of a speech act. Preliminary research was conducted in 2015 to describe the code-switching used by radio announcers. Previous study showed that intrasentential switching occurred mostly in conversations, and it relates to the speaker’s ability to speak both languages. In this research, the authors highlight the frequency of code-switching on social media by examining 30 Facebook status updates of a radio broadcaster. The research uses a qualitative method by analyzing the topic of the statuses and its correlation with the language used. The result shows that the participant uses English to express herself, while Indonesian is used only when she is triggered by something in Indonesian or about Indonesia, and to promote products.
