Politeness and its disguise:Stance-taking as a means of transforming language into rewards

Abstract

This study takes a discourse analysis approach to investigate how conversations and written comments bring monetary rewards to participants in video-medicated livestreams. I conducted digital ethnography between August 2020 and December 2020 in five streamers’ broadcasts at Lang Live, a popular platform in Taiwan. In these broadcasts, the streamers chat with viewers and simultaneously perform tasks such as cooking or playing musical instruments to engage audience participation. The more involved viewers are, the opportunities arise more that they purchase virtual gifts from the Lang Live platform to streamers. To receive as many as monetary rewards possible, streamers resort to their communicative skills, and they encourage interaction among viewers to collaborate a pleasant atmosphere of the chat rooms. The analytical focus of this study lies in how streamers respond to viewers’ requests, complains, and compliments via stance taking to enhance the chances to receive rewards.

Keywords

interaction; livestream; politeness; stance-taking