“Presenting Myself With Readers in Texts”: Analyzing Evidentiality in the Credibility-Building Discourse for Chinese State-Owned Enterprises on Twitter/X

Abstract

As Chinese State-owned Enterprises (CSOEs) expand globally, building credibility on social media is a crucial yet under-explored challenge in international impression management. This study addresses this gap by investigating how CSOEs construct credibility on Twitter/X. It specifically examines the thematic dimensions of competence, benevolence, and integrity (what to express) and the linguistic use of evidentiality—a key resource for marking information sources (how to express). Applying thematic content analysis and linguistic analysis to 2,472 tweets from eight major CSOEs, findings reveal a clear strategic pattern. Thematically, competence is prioritized by highlighting their daily operations and product exclusivity. Linguistically, CSOEs predominantly employ low-subjectivity evidentials (i.e., zero-marked, inferring, and reporting forms), with high-subjectivity forms (i.e., sensory and belief-based ones) being rare. This suggests a “conservative” intersubjectification strategy, as so-called “presenting myself with readers in texts,” using a neutral, news-report-like style to navigate the epistemic vigilance of a potentially skeptical global audience.