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Article In:
Pragmatics & Cognition
Vol. 31:1 (2024) ► pp.98–125

Ironic criticisms and responses on Chinese social media

| Beihang University
| Beihang University
Ironic criticisms in online interactions are very common, but have rarely been examined. Following the concept of (non)propositional irony, this study investigates how online ironic criticisms are produced and responded to. The findings were derived from a mixed-methods analysis of 200 comments and 1,140 responses collected from Weibo. The analysis offers a computer-mediated taxonomy and identifies four subtypes of ironic criticisms, with different realisation forms in each subtype. Responses to negative evaluations are more common in online ironic interactions, and possible motivations for this prevalence are discussed. The findings shed light on the creativity of ironic criticisms on social media, and suggest the need for an updated definition of ironic criticisms to account for their use in online interactions.
Keywords: (non)propositional irony, taxonomy of ironic criticisms, ironic criticism responses, digital communication
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1Propositional and non-propositional ironic criticism
    • 2.2Ironic criticisms and responses
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Data collection
    • 3.2Data analysis
  • 4.Findings
    • 4.1Propositional ironic criticism and responses
      • 4.1.1Realisation forms of propositional ironic criticism
      • 4.1.2Responses to propositional ironic criticism
        • 4.1.2.1Responding to literal meaning
        • 4.1.2.2Responding to implied meaning
        • 4.1.2.3Responding using meta-language
    • 4.2Non-propositional ironic criticism and responses
      • 4.2.1Realisation forms of non-propositional ironic criticism
      • 4.2.2Responses to non-propositional ironic criticism
        • 4.2.2.1Responding to positive approaches
        • 4.2.2.2Responding to negative approaches
        • 4.2.2.3Responding using meta-language
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Note
  • Author queries
  • References
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