"I deeply apologise to anybody who may have been offended" - The "Notes App Apology" as a strategy for image repair

This paper makes a case for the “Notes App Apology” as a distinct and novel form within the genre of apology. The hastily screenshotted “Notes App Apology” - posted by celebrities and public figures on social media following controversies and scandals - has been identified by laypeople with no background in linguistics as a distinctive form of communication. It has permeated the public consciousness and attracted media attention, with tabloids and broadsheets alike taking note of its distinctive visual form, unique tone and high levels of divisiveness in public reception. Its function as an image repair strategy has called into question its sincerity, leading to discussions surrounding the inauthenticity of constructed public image and the potential toxicity of parasocial relationships in an increasingly “online” society.

This paper codifies the most salient aspects of the “Notes App Apology”, using a Move Analysis Framework to identify the components of the posts, as influenced by previous research literature. They are found to have a higher proportion of blame-mitigating explanations than conventional apologies, and to contain fewer instances of practical repair offers. A prototypical visual form is also identified, consisting of black text against a white background in Helvetica font.

In a follow-up study, public perceptions of “Notes App Apologies” are assessed via a questionnaire. They are found to be broadly unsuccessful forms of image repair, with fewer than 50% of respondents self-reporting as likely to repeat their custom following a business-based infraction. Apologies with more components are found to perform more successfully across perceptive measures such as “sincerity”, “seriousness” and “politeness”, suggesting a cumulative effect in the construction of successful apologies. Offer of repair was revealed to be the most important component across these measures, with its absence leading to low success. Qualitative responses reveal hostility towards the “Notes App Apology” itself, further reinforcing the case for it as a distinct form of apology.