Decoding The Message: Ethical Implications of Linguistic Strategies in E-Cigarettes Advertisements

Abstract

Digital media e-marketing advertisements have generated a lot of interests in different social and academic institutions. However, the linguistic elements employed in these e-advertisements remain relatively unexplored. The exposure of visual posts showcasing e-cigarette brands on digital devices with coded linguistic terms, though a source of distraction to many curious adolescents who are always glued to the social media, is a source of worry and concerns. Interestingly, not too many scholars have investigated this phenomenon. This study examines the linguistic choices and visual elements utilized in e-cigarette advertisements; assesses the alignment of e-advert styles with ethical standards; scrutinizes how messages related to health are framed; and hidden meanings embedded within the advertisements. Data for this study were sourced from requisite databases (Google Engine, Google Scholar, CORE, Academia and Scopus), and analyzed using socio-stylistic and semiotic tools. The study discovers that the e-advertisers often choose to use short catchy phrases or fragments instead of full sentences for the messages to be conveyed almost instantly and efficiently. The impact of e-cigarette advertisements also depends largely on different demographics, manipulative message framing, visual language that reinforces brands’ messages and emotional appeal. It recommends services of language experts to checkmate lingual patterns of e-advertising.