How to prevent deception: A study of digital deception in “visual poverty” livestream

Abstract

This study, grounded in the interpersonal deception theory (IDT), aims to analyze the new form of digital deception known as “visual poverty” in livestreaming rooms. Through a multimodal discourse analysis of the collected data, this study found three distinct linguistic strategies employed in “visual poverty” livestream: illocutionary strategy, discourse strategy, and nonverbal strategy. These strategies are designed to achieve three interactional goals: constructing a false identity, reinforcing credibility, and gaining economic benefits. Based on these findings, this study further analyzed why it is difficult to detect digital deception and proposed suggestions to prevent it. This study theoretically proposes online IDT and offers practical suggestions for preventing digital deception, bearing both theoretical and practical significance.