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Part of
The Pragmatics of Hypocrisy
Edited by Sandrine Sorlin and Tuija Virtanen
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 343] 2024
► pp. 187–211

Chapter 8
Pretending to pretend

Performing “autohypocrisy” in online discourse

| Åbo Akademi University

This chapter explores virtual performances of “autohypocrisy”, an overt form of pretence where users instantaneously and simultaneously execute and expose their own hypocritical act. Examining conventionalizing and creative uses on Twitter of the self-referential third-person performative predication *pretends to be shocked*, corresponding propositional hashtags and performative “not-selfie” GIFs, the study discloses the layers of performativity involved and discusses self-presentational aspects of their public sharing. Paradoxically, virtually exposing one’s own pretence of being shocked may benefit self-promotion by giving the impression of the user being a sincere person, genuine and likeable. As a “benign” form of hypocrisy, playful performances of autohypocrisy allow users to avoid excesses of self-righteousness and provide them with ways of preserving the dignity of their online personhood.

Keywords: autohypocrisy, pretence, playfulness, virtual performativity, performative layers, metapragmatic acts, multimodality, online self-communication, digital culture, Twitter
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Hypocrisy and pretence, offline and online
  • 3.Virtual performatives, GIFs, and social tagging
  • 4.Data
  • 5.Autohypocrisy
    • 5.1Virtually pretending to be shocked
    • 5.2Pretending to pretend (to pretend)
  • 6.Forms of virtual pretence: Conventionalization and creativity
  • 7.Concluding remarks
  • References
Published online: 1 March 2024
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.343.08vir
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