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Brainwashing for beginners : a critical analysis of the discursive construction of the Covid-19 vaccine debate on the Stellenbosch University Facebook page from 2020-2022
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.
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| Language: | English |
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2022
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| _version_ | 1867613877802369024 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Bronn, Chelsea |
| author2 | Mongie, Lauren |
| author_browse | Bronn, Chelsea Mongie, Lauren |
| author_facet | Mongie, Lauren Bronn, Chelsea |
| author_sort | Bronn, Chelsea |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2022. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/126369 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:43:08.148Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publishDateRange | 2022 |
| publishDateSort | 2022 |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/126369 Brainwashing for beginners : a critical analysis of the discursive construction of the Covid-19 vaccine debate on the Stellenbosch University Facebook page from 2020-2022 Bronn, Chelsea Mongie, Lauren Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics. Critical discourse analysis COVID-19 vaccines -- Public opinion Qualitative reasoning Stellenbosch University -- Online social networks UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2022. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis reports on a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the discursive representation of the Covid-19 vaccine debate on Stellenbosch University’s Facebook page from 2020-2022, analysed through the lens of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The aim of the study is to investigate the ways in which the support towards and resistance of the Covid-19 vaccine is positively and negatively represented on the Stellenbosch University Facebook page. The study is analysed through the lens of CDA as there is a clear ideological element to the vaccine debate in the sense that people’s existing belief systems seem to be informing their decisions to vaccinate or not. The corpus for this research study comprised of selected posts and comments on the Stellenbosch University Facebook page that explicitly discuss the Covid-19 vaccine. Using AntConc, a quantitative analysis was conducted on the data in order to provide an overview of the frequency of words and lexical groupings within pro-vaxx and anti-vaxx statements, and to provide an indication of the distribution of posts and comments on the Facebook page from 2020 to 2022. Following this, a Thematic Analysis, as outlined by Braun & Clarke (2019) was conducted on the corpus to identify broad main themes that occurred within the data that best represent the discursive construction of the Covid-19 vaccine debate. The data was further analysed by means of a qualitative analysis using van Dijk’s (2006) Socio-cognitive approach to Discourse Analysis in order to provide insight into the ways in which individuals construct their attitudes and beliefs about the Covid-19 vaccine and to study the ways in which discourse reflects, challenges, and constructs attitudes and beliefs about the Covid-19 vaccine. The findings of the study identified five broad main themes that represent the discursive construction of the Covid-19 vaccine within the debate, namely “Vaccine Safety versus Adverse Effects”; “Propaganda and Manipulation”; “Community Protection versus Individual Protection”; “Autonomy: My Body My Choice”; and “Violation of Human Rights”. The findings within these themes indicated that current discourse on the Stellenbosch University Facebook page is dominated by anti-vaxx sentiments, and that the nature of the vaccine debate is polarised with pro-vaxxers representing the vaccine as safe, effective, and necessary for protection against Covid-19, and anti-vaxxers negatively constructing the vaccine as being dangerous, experimental, and harmful to individuals’ health. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis lewer verslag oor ‘n kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe studie van die diskursiewe verteenwoordigings van die Covid-19 vaksinedebat op die Stellenbosch Universiteit Facebookblad vanaf 2020-2022, geanaliseer deur die lens van Kritiese Diskoers-analise (KDA). Die doel van die studie is om ondersoek in te stel na die wyse waarop die ondersteuning van- en teenstand teen die Covid-19 vaksine positief en negatief op die Stellenbosch Universiteit Facebook blad verteenwoordig is. Die studie is geanaliseer deur die lens van KDA, aangesien daar 'n duidelike ideologiese element is met betrekking tot die vaksinedebat ten opsigte van mense se bestaande geloof sisteem wat hulle besluite beïnvloed om ingeënt te word of nie. Die korpus van hierdie navorsingstudie bevat geselekteerde poste en kommentaar op die Stellenbosch Universiteit Facebook blad wat duidelik die Covid-19 vaksine bespreek. Deur die gebruik van AntConc, is 'n kwantitatiewe analise van die data gedoen om 'n oorsig te verkry van die herhaling van woorde en leksikale groepering in die stellings van pro-vaksers en anti-vaksers, en om 'n indikasie van distribusie van poste en kommentaar op die Facebook blad vanaf 2020-2022 te gee. Daarna word 'n Tematiese Analise soos omlyn deur Braun & Clarke (2019) gedoen op die korpus om breë hoof temas wat voorkom in die data te identifiseer wat die diskursiewe konstruksie van die Covid-19 vaksinedebat die beste verteenwoordig. Die data word verder geanaliseer by wyse van kwalitatiewe analise deur van Dijk's (2006) Sosio-kognitiewe benadering tot Diskoers-Analise te gebruik om insig te gee tot die manier waarop individue hulle gesindheid en geloof ten opsigte van die maniere waarop diskoers uitdagings reflekteer, en gesindheid en geloof konstrueer oor die Covid-19 vaksine. Die bevindings van die studie identifiseer vyf breë hoof temas wat die diskoers konstruksie van die Covid-19 vaksine binne die debat verteenwoordig, naamlik, "Vaksine Veiligheid teenoor Negatiewe Uitwerkings"; "Propoganda en Manipulasie"; "Gemeenskap Veiligheid teenoor Individuele Beskerming"; "Outonomie: My Liggaam My Keuse"; en "Skending van Menseregte". Die bevindings van hierdie temas dui aan dat huidiglike diskoers op die Stellenbosch Universiteit Facebook blad gedomineer word deur anti-vaks sentimente, en dat die natuur van die vaksinedebat gepolariseer is met pro-vaksers wat die vaksine as veilig, effektief en noodsaaklik vir beskerming teen Covid-19 verteenwoordig, en anti-vaksers wat die vaksine negatief konstrueer as gevaarlik, eksperimenteel en skadelik vir individue se gesondheid. Masters 2022-11-23T12:07:35Z 2023-01-23T06:54:26Z 2023-05-23T03:00:09Z 2022-12 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/126369 en ix, 146 pages : illustrations application/pdf |
| spellingShingle | Critical discourse analysis COVID-19 vaccines -- Public opinion Qualitative reasoning Stellenbosch University -- Online social networks UCTD Bronn, Chelsea Brainwashing for beginners : a critical analysis of the discursive construction of the Covid-19 vaccine debate on the Stellenbosch University Facebook page from 2020-2022 |
| title | Brainwashing for beginners : a critical analysis of the discursive construction of the Covid-19 vaccine debate on the Stellenbosch University Facebook page from 2020-2022 |
| title_full | Brainwashing for beginners : a critical analysis of the discursive construction of the Covid-19 vaccine debate on the Stellenbosch University Facebook page from 2020-2022 |
| title_fullStr | Brainwashing for beginners : a critical analysis of the discursive construction of the Covid-19 vaccine debate on the Stellenbosch University Facebook page from 2020-2022 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Brainwashing for beginners : a critical analysis of the discursive construction of the Covid-19 vaccine debate on the Stellenbosch University Facebook page from 2020-2022 |
| title_short | Brainwashing for beginners : a critical analysis of the discursive construction of the Covid-19 vaccine debate on the Stellenbosch University Facebook page from 2020-2022 |
| title_sort | brainwashing for beginners a critical analysis of the discursive construction of the covid 19 vaccine debate on the stellenbosch university facebook page from 2020 2022 |
| topic | Critical discourse analysis COVID-19 vaccines -- Public opinion Qualitative reasoning Stellenbosch University -- Online social networks UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/126369 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bronnchelsea brainwashingforbeginnersacriticalanalysisofthediscursiveconstructionofthecovid19vaccinedebateonthestellenboschuniversityfacebookpagefrom20202022 |