Rozhdestvenskaya, E., Isupova, O. (2024). Social Networks in Search of Justification for COVID-19 Dissent. In: Moran, L., Dooly, Z. (eds) Biographical Perspectives on Lives Lived During Covid-19. Frontiers in Sociology and Social Research, vol 11. Springer, Cham. https: ...

Abstract

The chapter is devoted to the phenomenon of COVID-19 dissent. Based on the theory of cognitive distortions by Tagard and motivated judgments by Kunda, and using the theory of social contractarianism, a qualitative analysis of online COVID-19 dissent was carried out based on a sample of posts in Russian social networks. The participants were characterized by perceptions of the spread of COVID-19 in relation to dissent, resistance, struggle, and the relative rationalization of fears. The applied conceptual tool of motivated judgement revealed the repertoire of justifications used by COVID-19 dissenters to represent their views. At the core of this repertoire are the threats of malicious forces to weaken, destroy, and enslave part of the population with the help of vaccines, digitalization, and quarantine measures. Rhetorical reasoning resources include institutional, moral, religious, advocacy, demographic, information-digital, and quasi-medical arguments. Emotional coherence is achieved through the use of a secret enemy figure with mobilizing emotions of anxiety, fear, threats, humiliation, distrust, resentment, and restrained aggression. In the Russian context, COVID-19 dissent is based on the perceived neglect of previously existing social contracts by government.

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Content (in russ)