What makes an idea worth spreading? Language markers of popularity in TED talks by academics and other speakers

Kate MacKrill, Connor Silvester, James W. Pennebaker and Keith J. Petrie

Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, 2021, vol. 72, issue 8, 1028-1038

Abstract: TED talks are a popular internet forum where new ideas and research are presented by a wide variety of speakers. In this study, we investigated how the language used in TED talks influenced popularity and viewer ratings. We also investigated the differences in linguistic style and ratings of talks given by academics and non‐academics. The transcripts of 1866 talks were analyzed using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count program and eight language variables were correlated with number of views and viewer ratings. We found that talks with more analytic language received fewer views, while a greater use of the pronoun “I,” positive emotion and social words was associated with more views. Talks with these linguistic characteristics received more emotional viewer ratings such as inspiring or courageous. When comparing talks by academics and non‐academics, there was no difference in the overall popularity but viewers rated talks by academics as more fascinating, informative, and persuasive while non‐academics received higher emotional ratings. The implications for understanding social influence processes are discussed.

Date: 2021
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