Ironic criticisms and responses on Chinese social media

Abstract

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. Possible motivations for the prevalence of online ironic criticisms are also 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.