Functions of Pragmatic Presuppositions in Advertisements: Promoting Cosmetics on Instagram

Abstract

Presuppositions as pragmatic strategies have been a much-discussed topic, yet there need to be more studies on the pragmatic presupposition in advertisements on social media platforms. The present study explores the distribution and functions of different types of presuppositions in cosmetics advertisements on Instagram to fill the gap. Fifty advertisements posted by the ten most-followed beauty brands on Instagram were chosen as samples. It is found that advertisers prefer fact presupposition over other types of presuppositions since it is helpful when it comes to persuading customers to buy a particular product. This paper contributes to studies on presuppositions in ads on social media platforms and advances our understanding of the functions of pragmatic presuppositions.