Breakdown of knowledge authority

Semiotic analysis of an anti-vax conspiracy theory influencer on Twitter

Bibliographic Data

ID12346996
AuthorsHeidi C Piva (0000-0003-2477-3246, University of Turin, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume35
Issue3
Pages450-471
Publication date2024-04-16
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Semiotics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1035-0330 • E-ISSN: 1470-1219
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10350330.2024.2341398
OpenAlexW4394847625
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited28

Anti-vax conspiracy theories are major drivers of "vaccine hesitancy", a top-10 threat to global health according to the WHO. This paper investigates the interpretative mechanisms and discursive conditions of anti-vax discourse on Twitter (X), through the analysis of seven tweets posted by an anti-vax influencer. Mixed methods of discourse analysis are employed, focusing on the strategic character and potential social effects of discourse. As a set of relations, the code-text of anti-vax conspiracy theories is characterized by a conflict between authority and freedom. The archetype of the enemy is diffuse and composed of different elements (government, mainstream media, medical/scientific community) that are all totalized into one-and-the-same evil: "the authorities." Overall, when facing the increasing deconstruction of epistemic authority on social media, the form (independently from content) with which anti-vax discourse seeks to provide argumentation (by framing identities and social relations in the shape of dichotomic oppositions) is fundamentally undesirable

Linguistics · Semiotics · Sociology · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Opinion Dynamics and Social Influence · Philosophy

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