ERIC Number: EJ1291861
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Mar
Pages: 33
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0155-0640
EISSN: N/A
Ergoic Framing in New Right Online Groups: Q, the MAGA Kid, and the Deep State Theory
Procházka, Ondrej; Blommaert, Jan
Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, v44 n1 p4-36 Mar 2021
Conspiracy theories are often disqualified as inadequate and deliberate forms of misinformation. In this analysis, we engage with a specific case, the conspiracy theory developed on an online New Right forum called Q about the so-called "MAGA Kid incident" with focus on its circulation and uptake on Facebook. Drawing on ethnomethodological principles, the analysis shows how ergoic argumentation is systematically being deployed as a means of debunking rational-factual discourses about such incidents. While rationality itself is being rejected, conspiracy theorists deploy "reasonable" knowledge tactics. The paper shows how conspiracy theorists skillfully mobilize social media affordances, particularly Internet memes, to promote conspiracism as a form of inclusive political activism as well as a legitimate and "critical" mode of reasoning.
Descriptors: Deception, Theories, Computer Mediated Communication, Political Attitudes, Social Media, Internet, Activism, Critical Thinking, Information Sources, Youth, Persuasive Discourse
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: District of Columbia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A