Interactive Media Systems: Influence Strategies in Television Home Shopping

Abstract

Little discourse-analytic work has been conducted on the changing forms of discourse in interactive media systems. In this study, a sample of teleshopping discourse was analyzed and five sets of strategies were identified. Teleshopping discourse constructed the appearance of trusting relationships with viewers through expressions of praise and friendliness and disclosures of personal views and emotions. Teleshopping discourse also displayed attempts to discover viewers' needs and desires and advocate the specific bene fits and uses of products. The discourse also displayed attempts to create coherent realities for products through product descriptions, explanations, history, education, demonstrations, testimonials, and endorsements, all of which were designed to be even more impressive with vivid descriptions, cognitive participation, and narrative. Finally, teleshopping discourse appeared designed to facilitate behavioral commitment by invoking choice heuristics, countering viewer objections, and using personal value appeals. These findings extend previous explanations of teleshopping that focus solely on parasocial interaction, and show that teleshopping discourse is distinctive because it involves lamination, the use of multiple forms of a persuasive strategy across different media or presentation forms.