Reflexive Irony Exposure in AI-Mediated Commentary: A Micro-Ethnographic Note

This micro-ethnographic note documents and analyzes a brief comment–reply interaction occurring beneath a public video discussing large language models (LLMs). Unlike prior studies centered on methodological or epistemic failure modes of AI systems, this case represents a reflexive human–human exchange mediated by AI discourse. The interaction is formalized as an instance of Reflexive Irony Exposure (RIE): a minimal, symmetric response strategy that mirrors the rhetorical structure of a dismissive comment without engaging in argumentation, justification, or escalation. The analysis demonstrates how irony, when treated as an intentional communicative instrument rather than a flaw, functions as a diagnostic lens for contemporary attitudes toward AI authorship, value, and legitimacy. The paper contributes a lightweight analytical concept for capturing rhetorical symmetry in platformed discourse without over-formalization.