Dialogue with the Сonsumer in the Era of Mediatization: Responses to Reviews about Medical Services in the Context of Internet Communication

Abstract

The article analyses online communicative interaction of the authors of reviews about provided services of the companies. The focus is on methods of consumer feedback within the framework of public communication. It can be noted that when comparing an online consumer review with its traditional paper prototype the consequences of expressing claims in the “Book of Feedback and Suggestions” and in social networks feedback differ significantly in their consequences for the reputation of the company. In this regard, the strategy of responding to consumer feedback - both positive and negative - is a topical subject matter in terms of effective communication with the consumer in the digital age. The purpose of the study is a communicative-pragmatic analysis of commentary texts on behalf of companies representing a response to consumer feedback in the context of online public communication. Reviews about doctors and medical services on the websites of the specialized network publication “Prodoctorov” and responses from a medical institution were used as materials for study. A communicative-pragmatic description of the response to a consumer feedback is based on the main strategy of the addresser, which is mainly expressed in building and preservation of the company’s image. The tactics of responding to a positive or negative assessment of a medical service are considered. Structural-semantic models of two types of responses to reviews are pointed out. The pragmatic characteristics of the response commentary to the consumer review, which bring it closer to the advertising text, and manipulative techniques in arranging feedback from the clients of medical services are noted.