The practice of language, power, and politeness: A sociopragmatic study of buyer reviews in online transactions
Keywords:
Sociopragmatic, Buyer Reviews, Online Transactions, PolitenessAbstract
This article examines the practices of language, power negotiation, and politeness strategies in buyer reviews of online buying and selling transactions from a sociopragmatic perspective. This research is a literature study, supported by several cases, that examines how reviews not only function as product evaluations but also as a form of social communication that reflects the identities, emotions, and relationships between buyers and sellers. The results show that power dynamics are manifested through linguistic choices, such as the use of certain modalities, imperatives, and language styles, which affect seller responses as well as the quality of interaction. Politeness strategies, especially hedging and indirectness, have been shown to play a role in mitigating conflict and building trust. Cultural, gender, and social norms also shape variations in communication styles and interpretations of power in digital interactions. In addition, technological limitations are driving the emergence of compensation strategies such as emoticons and narrative explanations. These findings highlight the research gap related to the simultaneous integration of power, politeness, and language practice in the context of online reviews. This research emphasizes that digital interaction is a complex and dynamic social negotiation arena, so a multidisciplinary approach and new methodologies are needed to understand communication patterns in the e-commerce ecosystem.
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