A Tale of Identities: Environmental Identities Based on a Deliberate Metaphor Analysis of U.S. Energy Companies’ Social Media

Kaiwen Yang University of International Business and Economics ; Ya Sun University of International Business and Economics

Abstract

Environmental discussions have increased on social media, along with the rising interest in sustainability. This study introduces a modified procedure for a deliberate metaphor analysis of environmental metaphors in two U.S. energy companies’ Twitter (now X) accounts. Its findings suggest that the two U.S. companies used HUMAN, WEALTH, COLOR, JOURNEY, WAR, SPORTS, STEWARDSHIP, EVIL CREATURE, FOOD, and CRIME metaphors to fulfill publicizing, commercial, persuasive, evocative, and interactive functions, as well as to communicate their inherent environmental identities as protectors, stewards, competitors, and collaborators. These findings provide insights into corporate environmental communication and offer new perspectives on the communicative functions of deliberate metaphors.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
2025-04-01
DOI
10.1177/10506519241307787
Open Access
Closed
Topics

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  1. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  4. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  5. Written Communication
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