CONTAGIOUS CONSPIRACIES: UNMASKING THE ROLE OF CONSPIRACY THEORIES IN ONLINE ANTI-VACCINATION COMMUNITIES

Abstract

Conspiracy theories in online anti-vax communities reinforce ingroup formation by showcasing an us vs. them dynamic between a “marginalized” ingroup and an oppressive, sinister outgroup, as well as promoting the group’s digital affective public and reinforcing their perceived libidinal economy. This is achieved through anti-vax-related posts that villainize public figures, posts that adopt hate speech and bigoted rhetoric, and posts that blend anti-vax and non-anti-vax-related content together, as well as the use of digital communication tools provided by social media platforms.While traditional research has focused on the psychological and sociological aspects of these beliefs, the functional role of conspiracy theories in shaping the dynamics of non-mainstream online communities remains underexplored. Employing a mixed-methods approach that combines Critical Technocultural Discourse Analysis with a discourse analysis conducted by a multimodal large language model (LLM), this dissertation addresses this gap by investigating the role conspiracy theories play in the functionality and communicative practices of online anti-vaccination communities. Grounded in the theoretical frameworks of social identity theory (SIT) and affective publics, this dissertation analyzes public content posted between June 1, 2023 and November 15, 2024 to the largest and most active anti-vaccination groups on two social media platforms, Facebook and Gab Social, to examine how identity, community, and platform architecture influence conspiracy theory discourse. The findings reveal how these communities operate across platforms. On Facebook, the anti-vaccination group functions as an affective public, characterized by community-building, supportive interactions, and the use of humor, with these relational elements driving user engagement. In contrast, the Gab Social group operates as a bulletin board where engagement is driven primarily by the dissemination of anti-vaccination conspiracy theories and interactions between group members are frequently combative. Analysis of post contents and the use of digital tools, such as comments and emojis, reveals that hate speech, extremist signaling, and the more extreme non-vaccine-related conspiracy theories are all more prevalent on Gab than on Facebook, further cementing the distinct platform dynamics. However, the major theme across both platforms is a shared us vs. them dynamic, which is a crucial aspect of community formation and building within SIT. This research provides a nuanced understanding of how platform architecture and community norms shape the expression of conspiracy theory discourse. The findings offer crucial insights for academics, social media companies, and law enforcement for monitoring online non-mainstream communities and understanding the mechanisms that can foster either social cohesion or dangerous rhetoric.