When Modesty Meets Self-Promotion: A Discourse Analysis of Humble-Bragging on Social Media

Abstract

Humble-bragging, or self-promotion hidden behind acts of modesty or discontent, has become a popular communication tactic in the age of social media, when users are always juggling likeability with self-enhancement. Despite the fact that earlier study has concentrated on the psychological effects of humble-bragging and the responses of audiences to it, linguistic studies that systematically examine the discursive mechanisms behind this behaviour are conspicuously lacking. This study aims to bridge this gap by analysing the rhetorical, pragmatic, and structural elements of humble-bragging on social media through discourse analysis. The data came from a purposeful sample of 500 public posts from a variety of sites, such as Instagram, Twitter (X), and LinkedIn, and represented a range of demographic backgrounds. Through an analysis of stance-taking, linguistic cues, and the relationship between self-praise and self-deprecation, the study situates humble-bragging within broader patterns of online self-presentation. The results show that humble-bragging often employs a hybrid discourse structure that intentionally employs conversational implicature to quietly express accomplishment and mixes evaluative language with mitigated self-reference. This discreet self-promotion allows speakers to navigate the tension between the cultural norms of humility and the performative demands of digital identity formation. The linguistic and interactional features of humble-bragging are highlighted in this study, which contributes to our understanding of online discourse practices and offers insights into the evolving norms of self-presentation in mediated spaces.