Bolsonaro and Social Media: a Critical Discourse Analysis of the Brazilian President's Populist Communication on Twitter
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Department of Informatics and Media Master’s Programme in Social Sciences, Digital Media and Society specialization Two-year Master’s Thesis Bolsonaro and Social Media: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Brazilian President’s Populist Communication on Twitter Student: Yago Matheus da Silva Supervisor: Johan Lindell June 2020 Abstract The present study explores Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro’s online communication on the microblogging platform Twitter. The aim of the study is to present the populist characteristics embedded in the president’s tweets, as well as the strategies he uses in his communication on the social media platform. The pillars that structure this work are the different theories on the topic of populism, which address central points in relation to the phenomenon’s characteristics, such as dichotomization between groups (the good and the bad people), a strong anti- establishment stance, creation of scapegoats and enemies, and the centrality of the leader. Additionally, theories that explain the relationship between populism and social media are also employed for the full comprehension of the problem at hand. The analysis examines Bolsonaro’s first year in office (2019) and focuses mainly on three different periods within that year. The data consists of 110 tweets submitted to analysis utilizing Discourse-Historical Approach, an analytical approach with strong focus on context. The findings show how Bolsonaro’s communication on Twitter is immersed and dependent on strategies common to populist discourse, employing argumentative and discursive strategies that rely on the aspects such as topoi, demonization of others, shifting of blame, positive self- and negative other- presentation, provocation and calculated ambivalence. This study contributes to the understanding of populist online communication in the Brazilian context, shedding light on the phenomenon of populism, in particular the current populist wave, outside the European and North American contexts, expanding the understanding about the topic to the global south. Key Words: Populism, Social Media, Twitter, Bolsonaro, Discourse-Historical Approach (DHA). 2 Table of Contents List of Tables and Figures ....................................................................................................... 5 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 6 Disposition ......................................................................................................................................... 10 2. Background ..................................................................................................................... 11 The Brazilian Case ............................................................................................................................. 11 Bolsonarismo ..................................................................................................................................... 13 3. Theory and Previous Research ..................................................................................... 17 Defining and Conceptualizing Populism ........................................................................................... 17 Dichotomic Division ..................................................................................................................... 18 The Centrality of the Leader.......................................................................................................... 21 The People ..................................................................................................................................... 25 Populism and Democracy .............................................................................................................. 26 Populism and Social Media ............................................................................................................... 28 4. Methodology.................................................................................................................... 36 Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) ................................................................................................... 37 Discourse-Historical Approach (DHA) ............................................................................................. 40 Discourse, Text, and Genre ........................................................................................................... 41 Intertextuality, Recontextualization, and Interdiscursivity ........................................................... 42 Critique, Ideology, and Power ....................................................................................................... 43 Research Data .................................................................................................................................... 46 Data Collection .............................................................................................................................. 47 Data Management .......................................................................................................................... 48 Sampling ............................................................................................................................................ 48 Sampling Process........................................................................................................................... 50 Analytical Procedure.......................................................................................................................... 52 Categories of Analysis ................................................................................................................... 53 Ethical Considerations ....................................................................................................................... 58 5. Analysis............................................................................................................................ 59 Argumentation schemes – Different types of Topoi .......................................................................... 59 Construction of Dichotomies, Positive Self-presentation and Negative Other-presentation............. 75 Shifting of Blame and Demonization of “Others” ............................................................................. 78 Calculated Ambivalence and Provocation ......................................................................................... 81 6. Discussion and Conclusion ............................................................................................ 83 General Findings ........................................................................................................................... 84 Polarization and Other Tools ......................................................................................................... 85 Centrality of Populist Leader......................................................................................................... 87 Performative Aspects..................................................................................................................... 88 The Role of Social Media .............................................................................................................. 89 3 Emotional Dimension and Crises .................................................................................................. 90 Similarities and Differences Between Political Contexts .............................................................. 92 Recommendations for Future Studies ................................................................................................ 93 Concluding Remarks.......................................................................................................................... 94 7. References ....................................................................................................................... 96 8. Sources ........................................................................................................................... 102 4 List of Tables and Figures Table 1 - Overview of the number of tweets selected in the sampling process 51 Table 2 - List of different types of Topoi relevant for the analysis 56 Figure 1 - Simplified Model of Argumentation 55 Figure 2 - Symbolic aspect posted by Bolsonaro linked to example 5 62 Figure 3 - Screenshot from an online news piece in example 10 65 Figure 4 - Screenshot from the newspaper Folha de São Paulo in example 23 75 5 1. Introduction The phenomenon of populism has regained power in recent times. Political events such as Brexit and Donald Trump’s election, make it possible to affirm that the political context in different societies is witnessing a populist moment (Mouffe, 2019), or a populist zeitgeist (Mudde 2004). Questions related to how this phenomenon develops and what consequences and risks it poses in its current form have been raised, while examples of the growing appeal to populism are abundant and growing. A great effort has been made to explain the success of populism and to understand its problems. Different causes are pointed out as possible sources to its growing power, ranging from economic, political, social, and cultural to technological changes in society. As Gerbaudo (2018) explains, Contemporary populists are the product of a tumultuous era marked, on one hand, by deep economic crisis that is affecting