COVID-19 conspiracy theories as affective discourse
Carmen K. M. Lee · Discourse approaches to politics, society and culture · 2022
Abstract 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.