From Dapeng Debade (Dapeng Talk Show, 《大鹏嘚吧嘚》), the talk show on Sohu hosted by Dapeng in 2007, online talk shows in China has experienced fifteen years of development. The main feature of early online talk shows is that the users produce content. Therefore, the cost of production is low, and the overall quality is inferior. Later, a series of original talk shows hosted by scholars emerged, represented by Morning Call (Xiaoshuo, 《晓说》) on Youku Video. Now, talk shows like Roast (《吐槽大会》) and Rock and Roast (《脱口秀大会》) are still very popular. Judged from the perspectives of scale, quality, and production, online talk shows nowadays are more standard. They contain more IPs and have become famous brands, and examples include the Please series (《拜托了》系列), the Tucao series (《吐槽》系列), and the talk show competition series (脱口秀竞技系列) released by Tencent Video, which has become hot tags and popular programs on the Internet. Online talk shows in China are under the influence of mobile We-media, program copyright, online variety show policies, and peer competition. In this context, they look for a new direction of development. And attempt to make their tags a leader in Internet communication by means of vertical sub-division and more professional production so as to lead social topics, integrate local culture, and form a unique online talk show culture.

So, what are the discourse features of online talk shows during their adaptation to the online context? How do such features correlate with and influence the formation of online talk show culture?

I. Discourse subject: the de-elitization of program hosts in the process of “disenchantment”

In Essays in Sociology, Max Weber put forward the concept of “disenchantment of the world.” “Disenchantment” is the secularization of religion, namely “on the basis of scientific explanations, independence and rational judgment, the ultimately noble, sacred and magical religion is disenchanted.” (Weber 2010) It is the disenchantment of the mysterious, sacred, and enchanting science and knowledge. Here, the “chant” represents the authoritative elite hosts of mainstream media programs.

In online talk shows, to “disenchant” is to replace the traditional elite hosts with real, down-to-earth ordinary people, "to change the grand narration into ordinary narration," (Hailong 2013) thus reconstructing the image of traditional hosts and popularizing, individualizing them. This is the feature of the discourse of online talk shows.

In traditional TV programs, the hosts impress the general public with their elite image. And the hosts of talk shows create an authoritative, omniscient field of discourse with standard, rational and educational narration. However, when online talk shows just sprang up in China, they rejected the “elite image” and refused to “be represented”; "hence were full of individual characters." (Lingjun 2007) Both the early-stage online talk shows and later-stage talk shows embody the demand of the discourse subject, namely to disenchant and highlight the image of online talk show hosts. For example, Mala Shusheng, an early-stage online talk show, was based on the idea of “popular not vulgar; romantic not obscene; rational and humorous, righteous and mocking.” Dapeng Talk Show, a later-stage online talk show, is based on the idea of “the same Internet, different Dapeng; the same event, different viewpoints.” Ordinary people with individual characters and charm take the place of elite hosts. For example, Gao Xiaosong from Morning Call, Zhang Shaogang from Roast and Rock and Roast, Wang Han from Mars Intelligence Agency, and Ma Dong from U Can You Bibi. The appearance of these programs and their hosts embody the trend that the hosts of online talk shows, who are the subjects of discourse, are trying to de-elitize, popularize and individualize the discourse interactions on new media as men who are equal to the audience.

II. Modality of discourse: from “meme” to “self-mockery”—the networked expressions

“Meme (geng, 梗) means “joke,” “a foreshadowing hint,” or something ironic or with specific meaning.” Footnote 1

When we survey the development of talk shows in China, we will realize that traditional TV programs are strictly full of authoritative and “disciplinary” discourse., Therefore, the conversion of traditional talk shows contents mainly involves changing from current political news to cultural variety shows, and they aim to move and inspire the audience with rigorous discourse logic. On the contrary, the emergence of online talk shows originated from the gene of the Internet. That is, to “get away” from the mainstream ideology. More importantly, without the shackles of traditional media, people increasingly find pleasure in joking with memes. For example, the “Xiaosong Style” discourse of Gao Xiaosong in Morning Call, the “fight to the last minute” style and interesting narration in Logic Thinking, the “self-accounting” style communication of Liang Wendao in A Thousand and One Nights, the bitter discourse in Roast-they all attempt to apply comedy jokes, thus breaking away from the “orthodox” way of narration. To joke with memes has become the best way to establish a rapport with the audience, so the discourse modality of talk shows changes from being singular to being diversified, and the hosts resonate with the audience by creating memes.

In the context of the Internet, the greatest difference between online punch lines and traditional punch lines lies not only in the way they make people laugh. It comes from the formalized repetition of the contents by multiple discourses or from the correlative meaning of the discourse. (Saussure 2007) For example: “xiangku nanshou (literally sad and want to cry, 想哭难受)” and “xianggu lanshou (literally mushroom, blue and thin, 香菇蓝瘦).” So, a meme in online talk shows is not only an important discourse element, but also a trend, a new, stylish culture formed from the dismantlement of traditional, authoritative discourse. It makes online talk shows a gala of discourses and enables the audience to indulge in something new and exciting. (Dan 2005) Moreover, it gives talk show a place for creating new memes and gives rise to a new “networked” form to express online discourse.

Of all the ways to apply “memes” to online talk shows, “self-mockery” is a frequently adopted one. It is a way to express discourse and a form of performance based on an emphasis on the audience’s feeling of interaction. For example, during the online talk show Roast, the host Zhang Shaogang became popular with his self-mockery and old-fashioned dress code. He uses himself as a source of meme and allows the guests to ridicule him repeatedly, so he is much liked by the young audience. In another program, Tingjieshuo (Listen to Me, 《听姐说》), the hostess Shen Mengchen once mocked herself about her ability to host: “I really do not dare to seek the limelight. The others show their intelligence, I only show my blackheads; others come by as guests (zuoke, 作客), I come by as a hacker (heike, 黑客).” While in Morning Call, when Gao Xiaosong expresses his views on history and culture, he often mocks himself with his personal experience and forgets about his identity as a well-known scholar. Both of them uses networked language to show their distinct identity, thus better resonating with the audience. Therefore, using “memes” not only produces punch lines and sources of laughing but also pulls the host closer to the audience and makes him resonate with them., It generates more discussion, contributes to the popularity of the talk show, makes the audience a spreader of the contents, and increases the influence of online programs and the topic of talk show.

III. Discourse strategy: the spread of local social culture and value

With the development of online talk shows in China, more and more localized, original talk shows began to appear. From 2012, a series of celebrity talk shows have been released: A Thousand and One Nights by Liang Wendao; Part (Jubu,《局部》) by Chen Danqing; Hongguan (A Great View, 《鸿观》) by Song Hongbing; Night at the Museum by Ma Weidu. The humorous and relaxing “talk show” integrates organically with the culture. So, the distinct feature of online talk shows during this period—the celebs talk about culture—is formed. Online talk shows begin to innovate themselves by exploring the local culture.

In fact, if online talk shows in China plan to look for its cultural source,(Shi 2009) traditional cross-talk is undoubtedly the best source of reference. The jokes in cross talks that make people laugh give people a way to express their social, political, cultural, and economic emotions. They provide a great number of materials for online talk shows. Moreover, while online talk shows in China are inset with more punch lines, they attach greater importance to the output of cultural value and the in-lay of attitudes. For example, Tingjieshuo, the first female talk show produced by HNTV, confronts hot social topics from the female perspective. It not only makes the audience laugh on a particular occasion but also enables them to think about the theme and contents of the program, thus teaching knowledge while producing a humorous effect. For example, in the online talk show Aidajin Zhibei (《矮大紧指北》, the host does more than narrate stories. He mixes jokes and historical knowledge into content, thus improving the atmosphere; in Rock and Roast, the host maximizes the drama and entertaining effect of talk show, and integrates his knowledge and attitude with the show, so as to ridicule the society and arouse the audience’s emotional resonance.

Online talk shows in China are gradually becoming a vehicle of social and cultural value: local content and hot topics are included in the texts, the hidden emotions of the society are released, the hot issues that attract people’s attention are discussed, the ideas of the times, the society, and the general public are integrated into the program. So, they become closer to the audience, spread, popularize knowledge to the ordinary, and are eventually endowed with value. They are effectively conveying the value of discourse.