Extremist Language in Anti-COVID-19 Conspiracy Discourse on Facebook

“Extremist Language in Anti-COVID-19 Conspiracy Discourse on Facebook” is an academic article by Karoline Marko, a forensic linguistics scholar with an interest in social media platforms. By analyzing posts from a German-language COVID-19 conspiracy group on Facebook, Marko identifies key language features and use of images that strengthen the group’s cohesion and shared identity and compares them to language features identified in other extremist groups, such as right-wing political groups, white supremacists, and neo-Nazis.

Like other extremist groups, COVID conspiracy theorists share a similar distrust of the elite, particularly the government, its COVID-19 preventative measures and calls for vaccinations. They express their opposition through strategies that respond to the unique context of the pandemic, such as by misrepresenting scientific information, demeaning “others” that reject their views, and drawing inappropriate connections between themselves and historical figures of resistance. A post regarding COVID-19 vaccinations for children reads, “Impending obligatory vaccinations for millions of children with a gene-based vaccine. What does gene-manipulation mean for children?” (qtd. in Marko 99), conflating the use of viral mRNA (genetic material) in COVID-19 vaccines with the misinformation of gene manipulation, to enhance the legitimacy of the group’s concerns and evoke fear towards the vaccine and COVID policies. Conspiracy theorists often paint themselves as superior to those who disagree with them, such as in a meme that reads “Corona is a test of intelligence. Those who fail, receive the vaccine” (qtd. in Marko 102). They interpret their decision to not get vaccinated as passing the intelligence test, echoing their claims to be “in the know” of the supposed dangers of the vaccine, while framing those who receive the vaccine as less intelligent and blind followers of the government’s orders, contributing to a sense of superiority from being part of the group. Additionally, they weave an element of noble resistance into their shared identity by making references to Sophie Scholl and the White Rose, who resisted Nazi rule in WWII. They frame themselves as fighters for freedom against an unjust regime which imposes policies that restrict the people’s autonomy not for public health reasons as it claims, but as a form of social control.

This study outlines narratives of COVID-19 held by conspiracy theorists, which are a source of misinformation that go against mainstream government and scientific narratives and could hamper disease prevention efforts. Online spaces like the Facebook group Marko investigated allow people to gather virtually and establish communities based on shared views, strengthening each other’s beliefs in dangerous ideologies. Marko emphasizes that although virtual, extremists such as COVID-19 conspiracy theorists on Facebook have the potential to become radicalized and engage in real-world action with disastrous consequences, listing examples of individuals setting fire to police officers or COVID testing stations in Austria. The prevalence of hostility towards outsiders and language that could provoke fear and anger as found in this study further emboldens their group identity and collective beliefs, increases their potential danger to society.