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The Visual Transformation of Security Narratives: Visual Culture of the German Querdenker Movement on Instagram

Ott, Meriel Olga LU (2022) SIMZ11 20221
Graduate School
Abstract
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic the post-truth and increasingly
radicalized anti-vaccine movement has gained worldwide attention as a major
opponent of Covid-restricting efforts. In Germany, the anti-vax movement
Querdenker have staged several large-scale protests opposing the ’undemocratic’
government. With increasing online identity expression through fast-paced visual
platforms, the Querdenker utilize the global, visual environment of Instagram to
facilitate and sustain an ontological security narrative while affected by Instagram’s
content moderation efforts. An explanatory sequential design is used, combining a
quantitative content analysis of the three movement-connected hashtags with a
qualitative semiotic and... (More)
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic the post-truth and increasingly
radicalized anti-vaccine movement has gained worldwide attention as a major
opponent of Covid-restricting efforts. In Germany, the anti-vax movement
Querdenker have staged several large-scale protests opposing the ’undemocratic’
government. With increasing online identity expression through fast-paced visual
platforms, the Querdenker utilize the global, visual environment of Instagram to
facilitate and sustain an ontological security narrative while affected by Instagram’s
content moderation efforts. An explanatory sequential design is used, combining a
quantitative content analysis of the three movement-connected hashtags with a
qualitative semiotic and text analysis of selected profiles’ meme content. Applying
mixed methodology allows the thesis to draw reflections on the embeddedness of
content while also providing insights into commonly used visual signs and narrative
tools to construct security. The findings indicate that Querdenker security narratives
rely on defining the Other as a threat to continuity of the Self. The ‘Radicalized
Other’ is here interpreted in line with populist anti-elitism while non-movement
members of society are seen as similar to the ‘Orientalized Other’ that needs to be
guided and taught. As society changes, the movement displays tendencies of
holding on to traditional worldviews and value systems to establish a securitized
context in which protest and resistance become necessary to sustain their identity.
On the other hand, censorship affects textual elements within Instagram content.
Users have also reported several strategies of countering censorship, thus raising
the question if algorithmic filtering approaches are ineffective in detecting and
sustaining content moderation according to misinformation guidelines. Comedic
visual content, however, proved to make memes more resilient to censorship and
potentially more effective in sustaining ontological security narratives. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Ott, Meriel Olga LU
supervisor
organization
course
SIMZ11 20221
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Querdenker, visual culture, COVID-19, ontological security, identity, Instagram
language
English
id
9098451
date added to LUP
2022-09-20 08:48:42
date last changed
2022-09-20 08:48:42
@misc{9098451,
  abstract     = {{Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic the post-truth and increasingly 
radicalized anti-vaccine movement has gained worldwide attention as a major 
opponent of Covid-restricting efforts. In Germany, the anti-vax movement 
Querdenker have staged several large-scale protests opposing the ’undemocratic’ 
government. With increasing online identity expression through fast-paced visual 
platforms, the Querdenker utilize the global, visual environment of Instagram to 
facilitate and sustain an ontological security narrative while affected by Instagram’s 
content moderation efforts. An explanatory sequential design is used, combining a 
quantitative content analysis of the three movement-connected hashtags with a 
qualitative semiotic and text analysis of selected profiles’ meme content. Applying 
mixed methodology allows the thesis to draw reflections on the embeddedness of 
content while also providing insights into commonly used visual signs and narrative 
tools to construct security. The findings indicate that Querdenker security narratives 
rely on defining the Other as a threat to continuity of the Self. The ‘Radicalized 
Other’ is here interpreted in line with populist anti-elitism while non-movement 
members of society are seen as similar to the ‘Orientalized Other’ that needs to be 
guided and taught. As society changes, the movement displays tendencies of 
holding on to traditional worldviews and value systems to establish a securitized 
context in which protest and resistance become necessary to sustain their identity.
On the other hand, censorship affects textual elements within Instagram content. 
Users have also reported several strategies of countering censorship, thus raising 
the question if algorithmic filtering approaches are ineffective in detecting and 
sustaining content moderation according to misinformation guidelines. Comedic 
visual content, however, proved to make memes more resilient to censorship and 
potentially more effective in sustaining ontological security narratives.}},
  author       = {{Ott, Meriel Olga}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Visual Transformation of Security Narratives: Visual Culture of the German Querdenker Movement on Instagram}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}