Abstract Comments play a significant role in online fandom construction on social media. This paper investigates the role of metapragmatic comments (MPCs) in constructing online fandom, discussing the underlying mechanism behind the use of MPCs on Chinese social media. The present study draws on a self-built dataset of 69,086 comments gathered from Weibo , which were employed in response to a public apology by a top Chinese e-commerce live-streaming influencer. Through a mixed-methods analysis, this study finds that different types of MPCs illustrate varying reactions and demonstrate how fans respond to the apology by either expressing their acceptance or signaling their rejection. Special attention is then paid to three emerging interactive patterns that reveal how MPCs are intended to dynamically construct online fandom, namely eliciting intense resentment, engaging in satirical humor, and catalyzing new topics. This study not only deepens our understanding of metapragmatic awareness revealed by fans’ discourse within the context of e-commerce but also highlights how social media affordances and digital fan culture contribute to online fandom construction.
Chen et al. (Sat,) studied this question.