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In:Dynamism in Metaphor and Beyond
Edited by Herbert L. Colston, Teenie Matlock and Gerard J. Steen
[Metaphor in Language, Cognition, and Communication 9] 2022
► pp. 325–340

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Relevance theory perspectives on web-mediated communication

 | University of Amsterdam
 | University of Amsterdam
Published online: 9 September 2022
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/milcc.9.17for
Abstract
Cognitivist approaches are in need of an inclusive theory of communication. Relevance theory (RT) is well-equipped to develop into such a theory, but to fulfill its promise it should be able to accommodate digital-platform-based exchanges. Since communication via digital platforms often takes place between people who do not, or hardly, know each other personally, the issue of trustworthiness becomes much more important than in the face-to-face variety that is RT’s paradigmatic type of communication. Using TripAdvisor as an illustrative example, we make suggestions for how RT can handle, and provide useful perspectives on, communication via digital platforms, paying specific attention to the creation of trust.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.An ultra-short & informal version of key dimensions of RT
  • 3.The co-construction of identity and trust on web platforms
  • 4.The TripAdvisor platform as service, communication template, and interface
    • TripAdvisor as service for creating an online identity
    • Format of the communication template
    • Interface from the receiver’s perspective
  • 5.An RT characterization of communication on TripAdvisor
  • 6.From platform to agent: TripAdvisor as communicator
  • 7.Concluding remarks
  • References
References (51)
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Cited by (2)

Cited by two other publications

Forceville, Charles
2025. Relevance theory as the foundation for an inclusive theory of communication. Multimodal Communication DOI logo
Nagy-Béni, Alexandra
2024. Review of Forceville (2020): Visual and Multimodal Communication: Applying the Relevance Principle. Cognitive Linguistic Studies 11:2 ► pp. 459 ff. DOI logo

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