Functional and pragmatic evolution of headlines in Chinese media: national traditions and digital transformation

The subject of the research is the evolution of headlines in Chinese media under the influence of digitalization and national traditions. The aim of the work is to identify key trends in the transformation of headlines that combine traditional rhetorical models with modern digital strategies. A comprehensive approach is applied in the study, including content analysis, discourse analysis, a comparative method, as well as elements of corpus linguistics for processing empirical material. Based on the analysis of 500 headlines (2015–2023), it has been established that Chinese media retain cultural elements (four-character idioms, historical allusions), while simultaneously adapting clickbait and multimodal formats. Special attention is paid to the phenomenon of "controlled clickbait," where viral techniques align with ideological frameworks. The scientific novelty lies in the systematic study of the hybridization of traditions and digital trends. The main conclusion is that Chinese media implement a model of "managed digitalization," subordinating technological innovations to the tasks of preserving cultural and ideological discourse. The study employs a comprehensive approach, including content analysis of 500 headlines (2015–2023), discourse analysis taking into account ideological and cultural parameters, and a comparative method to identify differences between traditional and digital formats, supplemented by elements of corpus linguistics. This research makes a significant contribution to media linguistics and the theory of digital discourse, systematically analyzing for the first time the interaction between national cultural traditions and global digital trends in Chinese media. The key scientific novelty lies in the identification of the phenomenon of "controlled clickbait" – a unique mechanism that combines elements of virality (emojis, multimodality) with ideological precision (68% of headlines retain traditional rhetorical models). It has been established that digital transformation does not replace but rather transforms traditional paradigms, creating hybrid forms (45% of headlines in 2023). The evolution of headline complexes implements a model of "managed digitalization," where technological innovations are subordinated to the preservation of cultural-ideological discourse. National traditions remain a key element even in digital formats (82% in People’s Daily). State regulation plays a crucial role in shaping the balance between innovativeness and normativity. The practical significance of the work lies in the development of algorithms for culturally adapted headline generation and methodologies for media professionals. Future research prospects are related to the study of the impact of AI and VR technologies on media discourse.

Chinese media, headline complexes, digital transformation, media linguistics, national tradition, cultural tradition, Chinese mass media, functional-pragmatic evolution, Chinese digitization, news headlines