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Wenxin Wan

Khon Kaen University, Thailand

 

Abstract

With the rapid development of media, humblebragging as a communication strategy that balances self-promotion and social recognition has become increasingly prominent. Nevertheless, the current study has mainly resorted to the interpersonal communication and social media, and little has been done on the order of the expressive forms and cultural flexibility of humblebragging in the dynamic media like the Chinese reality shows. In this manner, this study seeks to investigate the impact of humblebragging in different situations within the context of Chinese reality shows, to explore how humorous language is used to ease interpersonal tensions and improve relationships, and to examine cases where a lack of sincerity leads to unforeseen consequences. To this end, the research will draw the politeness theory and impression management theory of Brown and Levinson. It applies a case study of examining six representative excerpts that represent various contexts of two popular Chinese reality shows: Trump Card and Keep Running. The findings indicated that humblebragging offers an effective means of attaining selfpromotion and enhancing solidarity within a group because of humor and selfdepreciation. However, if one fails to articulate things in the right way, such as using discordant expressions or being too self-centered, it may create tension in relationships, since it is perceived as a mismatch between the outward appearance and the actual situation. The study emphasizes the significance of proper expression in measuring the effectiveness of humblebragging.

 

Keywords

Humblebragging, reality TV shows, self-promotion, group solidarity, misalignment and relational tensions