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Part of
Conspiracy Theory Discourses
Edited by Massimiliano Demata, Virginia Zorzi and Angela Zottola
[Discourse Approaches to Politics, Society and Culture 98] 2022
► pp. 215–238

Chapter 10
COVID-19 conspiracy theories as affective discourse

| Chinese University of Hong Kong
This chapter analyzes online reactive comments to news reports on COVID-19 conspiracy theories, with a focus on hate speech on the origin(s) of the coronavirus. Largely mediated by feelings and ‘polarized emotionality’ (Boler and Davis 2018), COVID-origin conspiracy theories mobilize distinct affective publics online: commenters include supporters of China-origin theories and US-origin theories, and non-believers of conspiracy theories respectively. Informed by the theoretical framework of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this study explores (i) the emotion-triggering discursive strategies surrounding COVID-origin conspiracy theories and (ii) the linguistic devices that realize these strategies. The analysis is based on 849 reactive comments to five Hong Kong-based COVID-origin news reports posted on Facebook. The study has found that such reactive comments to COVID-origin conspiracy theories share similar discourse strategies with those identified in the literature of discriminatory discourse and (covert) hate speech. Both believers and non-believers of conspiracy theories tap into the topoi of danger and threats, and strategically employ referentials, scare tactics, quasi-fallacious argumentations, and intensification/mitigation to legitimize their ideological stances. These strategies stir up negative emotions channeled through COVID-origin conspiracy theories. This chapter reveals the intricate relationship of conspiracy theories, affect, and hate speech in mediatized society.
Keywords: conspiracy theories, COVID-19, hate speech, emotion, affect, discursive strategies, Critical Discourse Analysis
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Conspiracy theories and COVID-19 origins
  • 3.Conspiracy theories as mediatized affective discourse
    • 3.1Emotion, affect, and online hate speech
    • 3.2COVID-origin conspiracy theories as discursive action of affect
      • 3.2.1Discursive strategies of negative emotions
  • 4.Data and categories of analysis
  • 5.Discursive construction of COVID-origin conspiracy theories
    • 5.1Nomination/referential strategies
    • 5.2Scare tactics and hypothetical future
    • 5.3Quasi-rational fallacious argumentation
    • 5.4Intensifying and mitigation strategies
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 1 December 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/dapsac.98.10lee
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