Compliments and compliment responses

Compliments and the responses that they elicit have been widely studied in face-to-face interactions. Researchers are now turning to digital contexts, particularly social media, where complimenting is a widespread occurrence. This chapter gives an overview of the current state of the art of compliment and compliment response studies on social media. After a brief exploration of the background of compliment studies in face-to-face interaction, we provide a working definition of compliments. We then examine studies to date of complimenting behavior on social media, highlighting similarities and differences, and any emerging trends. Next, methodological and ethical considerations are explored in this relatively new area of study. Finally, we comment on directions that future research could take.