Identity Emergence in the Context of Vaccine Criticism in France

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sepahpour-Fard, Melody, Quayle, Michael, MacCarron, Padraig, Mannion, Shane, Nguyen, Dong
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866914974654267392
author Sepahpour-Fard, Melody
Quayle, Michael
MacCarron, Padraig
Mannion, Shane
Nguyen, Dong
author_facet Sepahpour-Fard, Melody
Quayle, Michael
MacCarron, Padraig
Mannion, Shane
Nguyen, Dong
contents This study investigates the emergence of collective identity among individuals critical of vaccination policies in France during the COVID-19 pandemic. As concerns grew over mandated health measures, a loose collective formed on Twitter to assert autonomy over vaccination decisions. Using analyses of pronoun usage, outgroup labeling, and tweet similarity, we examine how this identity emerged. A turning point occurred following President Macron's announcement of mandatory vaccination for health workers and the health pass, sparking substantial changes in linguistic patterns. We observed a shift from first-person singular (I) to first-person plural (we) pronouns, alongside an increased focus on vaccinated individuals as a central outgroup, in addition to authority figures. This shift in language patterns was further reflected in the behavior of new users. An analysis of incoming users revealed that a core group of frequent posters played a crucial role in fostering cohesion and shaping norms. New users who joined during the week of Macron's announcement and continued posting afterward showed an increased similarity with the language of the core group, contributing to the crystallization of the emerging collective identity.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2410_12676
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Identity Emergence in the Context of Vaccine Criticism in France
Sepahpour-Fard, Melody
Quayle, Michael
MacCarron, Padraig
Mannion, Shane
Nguyen, Dong
Social and Information Networks
Computers and Society
J.4
This study investigates the emergence of collective identity among individuals critical of vaccination policies in France during the COVID-19 pandemic. As concerns grew over mandated health measures, a loose collective formed on Twitter to assert autonomy over vaccination decisions. Using analyses of pronoun usage, outgroup labeling, and tweet similarity, we examine how this identity emerged. A turning point occurred following President Macron's announcement of mandatory vaccination for health workers and the health pass, sparking substantial changes in linguistic patterns. We observed a shift from first-person singular (I) to first-person plural (we) pronouns, alongside an increased focus on vaccinated individuals as a central outgroup, in addition to authority figures. This shift in language patterns was further reflected in the behavior of new users. An analysis of incoming users revealed that a core group of frequent posters played a crucial role in fostering cohesion and shaping norms. New users who joined during the week of Macron's announcement and continued posting afterward showed an increased similarity with the language of the core group, contributing to the crystallization of the emerging collective identity.
title Identity Emergence in the Context of Vaccine Criticism in France
topic Social and Information Networks
Computers and Society
J.4
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.12676