Abstract
The expansion of digital communication has led to a significant rise in online defamation, making forensiclinguistics increasingly important in the investigation of cybercrime and legal disputes. This study examinesdigital discourse from major social media platforms through a cross-platform analysis to identify linguisticpatterns used in defamatory communication. Using a hybrid framework that combines critical discourseanalysis, corpus linguistics, and speech act theory, the research analyzes publicly available social mediatexts to uncover recurring forensic linguistic features such as evaluative language, presupposition,modality, and assertive speech acts. Quantitative corpus-based methods are employed to identify frequencypatterns and collocations, while qualitative analysis interprets meaning, intention, and reputational harm.The findings demonstrate that online defamation is frequently constructed through strategic linguisticchoices that present allegations as factual claims within social media language. This study contributes toforensic linguistics by providing empirical evidence on how defamatory meanings are produced in digitaldiscourse, offering practical insights for legal professionals, investigators, and policymakers addressingcybercrime in online environments.