On the Discursive Appropriation of the Antinatalist Ideology in Social Media

The Qualitative Report 2019, Volume 24, Number 2, 208-227

Posted: 20 Feb 2019 Last revised: 4 Jun 2020

Date Written: February 3, 2019

Abstract

Antinatalism, a relatively recent moral philosophical perspective and ideology that avows “it is better not to have ever existed,” has spawned a new social movement with an active presence in social media. This study draws on the discourse historical approach (DHA) to critical discourse analysis for offering a firm understanding as to how the collective identity of the Facebook antinatalist NSM is formed. The findings from the analysis of the situated interaction among the NSM’s members demonstrate that collective identity is far from a knitty-gritty concept, but a dynamic schema that includes a plethora of micro-interactions. Individuals constantly negotiate its meaning in context, as they seek to streamline the antinatalist system of ideas with their lifeworld through a web of interlocking schemata, discursive and rhetorical strategies.

Keywords: Antinatalism, New Social Movements, Ideology, Netnography, Critical Discourse Analysis, Rhetorical Criticism

Suggested Citation

Rossolatos, George, On the Discursive Appropriation of the Antinatalist Ideology in Social Media (February 3, 2019). The Qualitative Report 2019, Volume 24, Number 2, 208-227, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3328016

George Rossolatos (Contact Author)

University of Kassel ( email )

Fachbereich 05
Nora-Platiel-Straße 1
34109 Kassel, Hessen 34127
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://grossolatos.blogspot.com/

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