To Interact and to Narrate: A Categorical Multidimensional Analysis of Twitter Use by US Banks and Energy Corporations

Abstract

Background: With the development of digital technologies, Twitter allows organizations to make better use of social media for impression management, advertising, and marketing. Literature review: As a recently developed register, Twitter has been researched as a personal-oriented communication method, but little research has been conducted on the register of corporate Twitter use. This study, exploring Twitter use by the 2020 US Fortune 500 banks and energy corporations, may be the first one to conduct register analysis of corporate Twitter. Methodology: This study used summary language variables of Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) as dimensions of register variation, and also conducted categorical multidimensional analysis (CMDA) of linguistic features and features specific to Twitter. Research questions: 1. What are the patterns of register variation in the tweets of US banks and energy corporations based on the results of four LIWC summary variables and the CMDA method? 2. Are there any differences between tweets of the two industries within each pattern of register variation? Results and conclusions: Results showed that tweets of both industries tend to display a categorical, confident self-regulating style, and a mixed tone. Tweets of banks are more formal, self-regulating, and oriented toward narrative (congratulatory, positive informational, and effortful), while tweets of energy corporations are more authentic and oriented toward interaction (advisory, routine, and affiliative). Tweets having narrative functions tend to be formal in style and positive in tone, while tweets having interactive functions tend to display corporations’ confidence and leadership. Corporate Twitter is characterized by the integration of interaction and informational narrative, or “registerial hybridity.” Overall, this study strengthens the idea that corporations use Twitter to facilitate corporate communication with a broadcasting strategy and narrative perspective, and to improve digital communication with an engaging strategy. Findings may shed light on promoting products and corporate impression management on social media.