CODE-SWITCHING IN SANDIAGA SALAHUDDIN UNO’S INSTAGRAM CAPTIONS

Code-switching has become an integral phenomenon in contemporary communication. Communication takes place not only in daily interactions but also increasingly through social media platforms, where language choice plays a crucial role in message delivery. As a result, code-switching emerges as an interesting topic for analysis, particularly when employed by a public figure such as Sandiaga Uno, as it reveals how a public figure communicates with a broad, diverse audience in digital spaces. Based on this phenomenon, this study aims to investigate the use of code-switching in Sandiaga Uno’s Instagram captions by identifying the types of code-switching used, analyzing their communicative functions, and explaining how the context of the situation influences language choice within digital communication. This study adopts a descriptive qualitative approach. The data consist of 79 instances of code switching collected from Sandiaga Uno’s Instagram captions. The analysis applies Poplack’s theory of code-switching types, as cited in Romaine (1995), and Leech’s (1974) theory of language functions, and is supported by Halliday and Hasan’s (1985) theory of the context of situation. The findings reveal that intra-sentential switching is the most dominant type, followed by inter-sentential switching, while tag switching appears least frequently. In terms of language functions, expressive and informational functions are the most prominent, whereas the aesthetic function does not occur. The analysis further shows that situational factors such as communicative purpose, relationship, and the digital nature of Instagram strongly influence language choice and function. This study concludes that code switching in Sandiaga Uno’s Instagram captions is a deliberate and strategic linguistic practice that enhances communicative effectiveness, audience engagement, and the construction of a professional yet approachable public image in digital communication.