Impersonality as a mitigation strategy in Chinese and Spanish Tinder self-praise

Abstract

On online dating platforms, where first impressions are crucial for successful matches, users often highlight their positive qualities while mitigating self-praise to avoid appearing arrogant. This study compares the use of impersonality as a mitigation strategy in self-praise among Chinese and Spanish Tinder users. Drawing on profile texts containing self-praise, the analysis distinguishes between the impersonalization of “I” as the agent and as the object of praise. Functionally, this strategy helps Tinder users strike a balance between self-promotion and apparent modesty, while also facilitating flirtatious interaction in some cases. The differences between the two communities reflect the influence of sociocultural norms, while some shared tendencies appear to be shaped by platform-specific features and interactional considerations. These findings provide empirical support for the framework proposed by Briz and Albelda (2013) and Albelda et al. (2014) , demonstrating how sociocultural and interactional motivations manifest in the specific context of digital dating discourse.