Deconstructing 5G: A Multimodal Analysis of Cellular Network Companies’ Advertisements in Pakistan

Abstract

There are certain means of propagating ideology to the masses, and cellular network companies can be regarded as one of the important sites for ideological investment. The global advancement of 5G technology has triggered an intense wave of commercial advertising to propagate desired ideology to the target audience through innovative and persuasive linguistic moves.  The present study examines how cellular network companies in Pakistan propagate ideologies related to 5G through their advertisements to win consumers’ consent.  The data for the present study have been collected from advertisements of Jazz, Zong, and Ufone from their official Facebook pages during the first month of the 5G auction in Pakistan (March 2026). The study employs purposive sampling techniques to select data.  It employs David Machin’s (2013) multimodal analysis approach as a theoretical framework. The levels of analysis include an inventory of semiotic resources, denotation/ connotation dialectic, modality as an ideological cue, participant analysis, and integration with CDA. The analysis of visual and verbal practices used in the selected data has been done to explore ideological underpinnings.  The findings of the study show that there is a common communicative strategy used by all three companies, which is the representation of 5G technology as a transforming force that has the power to change the future. The visual and verbal spins employed by Jazz include the use of person as state metaphor technique (female celebrity), Zong uses culture with a composite fantasy setting featuring national monuments, and Ufone uses celebrity endorsement as state metaphor for interpersonal association to stand out among others. Whereas the use of verbal techniques includes typographic technique, imperative sentences, and the use of alliteration.