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Parallella pandemier: En diskursanalys av motståndet mot covid-19-vaccinering

Zarakani, Armita LU (2023) STVK05 20231
Department of Political Science
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic, a global crisis marked by uncertainty, exacerbated the dissemination of misinformation and conspiracy theories through social media platforms, thereby posing an additional health risk to society. This study employs Carol Bacchi's WPR approach to conduct a discourse analysis focused on vaccine resistance within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to gain valuable insights into the motivations and reasons that drive vaccine resistance. This analysis involved deconstructing the logic behind anti-vaccination messages found in twenty videos posted on the app TikTok concerning COVID-19 vaccines. Complementing the WPR framework, theories of populism and polarization were utilized to aid in the analysis. The... (More)
The COVID-19 pandemic, a global crisis marked by uncertainty, exacerbated the dissemination of misinformation and conspiracy theories through social media platforms, thereby posing an additional health risk to society. This study employs Carol Bacchi's WPR approach to conduct a discourse analysis focused on vaccine resistance within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to gain valuable insights into the motivations and reasons that drive vaccine resistance. This analysis involved deconstructing the logic behind anti-vaccination messages found in twenty videos posted on the app TikTok concerning COVID-19 vaccines. Complementing the WPR framework, theories of populism and polarization were utilized to aid in the analysis. The results reveal that vaccine resistance is influenced by populist discourse, characterized by "us versus them" statements and oversimplifications of complex issues. The videos also highlight the role of political leaders in exploiting media platforms to intensify polarization and reinforce group identities. Furthermore, the study highlights the impact of echo chambers on digital media, limiting exposure to diverse viewpoints and reinforce conspiratorial ideas and political opinions, thus increasing the risk of polarization. The results underscore the importance of mitigating disinformation in promoting a healthy democratic debate. Additionally, it emphasizes the significance of informed decision-making, independent evaluation of scientific and political information, and citizens' engagement in the democratic process. By revealing the connection between vaccine resistance and resentment towards different "elites," this study offers insights to countering these dynamics and fostering democratic dialogue. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Zarakani, Armita LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVK05 20231
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
covid-19 pandemic, discourse analysis, Carol Bacchi, populism, polarization, expert knowledge, social media
language
Swedish
id
9115683
date added to LUP
2023-08-18 16:26:34
date last changed
2023-08-18 16:26:34
@misc{9115683,
  abstract     = {{The COVID-19 pandemic, a global crisis marked by uncertainty, exacerbated the dissemination of misinformation and conspiracy theories through social media platforms, thereby posing an additional health risk to society. This study employs Carol Bacchi's WPR approach to conduct a discourse analysis focused on vaccine resistance within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to gain valuable insights into the motivations and reasons that drive vaccine resistance. This analysis involved deconstructing the logic behind anti-vaccination messages found in twenty videos posted on the app TikTok concerning COVID-19 vaccines. Complementing the WPR framework, theories of populism and polarization were utilized to aid in the analysis. The results reveal that vaccine resistance is influenced by populist discourse, characterized by "us versus them" statements and oversimplifications of complex issues. The videos also highlight the role of political leaders in exploiting media platforms to intensify polarization and reinforce group identities. Furthermore, the study highlights the impact of echo chambers on digital media, limiting exposure to diverse viewpoints and reinforce conspiratorial ideas and political opinions, thus increasing the risk of polarization. The results underscore the importance of mitigating disinformation in promoting a healthy democratic debate. Additionally, it emphasizes the significance of informed decision-making, independent evaluation of scientific and political information, and citizens' engagement in the democratic process. By revealing the connection between vaccine resistance and resentment towards different "elites," this study offers insights to countering these dynamics and fostering democratic dialogue.}},
  author       = {{Zarakani, Armita}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Parallella pandemier: En diskursanalys av motståndet mot covid-19-vaccinering}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}