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Pragmatics: Online-First Articles

China’s real estate agents’ persuasion realizations on WeChat Moments

ORCID logo | Beijing Foreign Studies University | Hanjiang Normal University
| Beijing Foreign Studies University

Persuasion is a well-documented language phenomenon in the fields of rhetoric, communication, and sociopsychology. However, there is still a need for further research into persuasion on social media from a pragmatic perspective. The current research contributes to the existing literature on persuasion, particularly in virtual environments, by examining the tactics of online persuasion with a dataset of 409 excerpts from WeChat Moments. It examines the frequency and percentage of persuasive strategies deployed by fourteen Chinese real estate agents. Additionally, a qualitative analysis of each tactic is conducted, supported by specific examples. The findings indicate that, in increasing order of frequency, persuasion attempts on the participants’ WeChat Moments are primarily realized through rational, ethos, and emotional appeals. The determinants of this strategic inclination are examined with respect to the anonymity afforded by the Internet, media effect, community of practice and Chinese cultural particulars.

Keywords: persuasion strategy, real estate agents, WeChat Moments, cyberspace, rhetoric
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1Persuasion strategies
    • 2.2Computer-mediated persuasion
    • 2.3Pragmatic study on persuasion
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Source of data
    • 3.2Participants
    • 3.3Data coding
  • 4.Findings
    • 4.1Persuasion with rational appeals
      • 4.1.1Highlighting gaining
      • 4.1.2Emphasizing scarcity
    • 4.2Persuasion with emotional appeals
      • 4.2.1Negative altercasting
      • 4.2.2Providing social proof
      • 4.2.3Self-mockery
      • 4.2.4Teasing
      • 4.2.5Imposing obligation
      • 4.2.6Evoking positive self-esteem
      • 4.2.7Spreading fear
    • 4.3Persuasion with ethos appeals
      • 4.3.1Displaying liking
      • 4.3.2Applying expertise
      • 4.3.3Showing empathy
      • 4.3.4Self-praise
  • 5.Discussion
    • 5.1The overall tendency towards the option of persuading appeals
    • 5.2The operational mechanism of persuasion in WeChat Moments ads
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
Published online: 22 July 2024
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/prag.22062.he
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