This study examines the language used by independent distributors in Multi-Level Marketing companies (MLMs) when attempting to recruit new people into the business. Social media posts and messages were read and analysed to identify themes or categories within the data, which each detailed a means used by distributors to recruit new distributors or customers. The findings were then analysed in relation to Steven Hassan's BITE-model of authoritarian control; Robert Cialdini's principles of inlfuence; Roman Jakobson's pragmatic functions; and Roland Barthes thery of cultural. The findings showed that the most frequent tactic used by the distributors was different forms of emotional tactics. The distributors also used signifiers to evoke cultural myths regarding how one should live one's life and how their MLM could help people achieve that lifestyle. Lastly, questions were frequently used in order to prolong communication between distributor and prospective recruit or customer.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:hh-44284 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Bergquist, Elin |
| Publisher | Högskolan i Halmstad, Akademin för lärande, humaniora och samhälle |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | Halmstad University Dissertations |
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