A Corpus-Based CDA of Populist Politicians’ Strategies and Public Response on Twitter during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract In this paper we analyse how populist leaders in UK and Italy – namely Nigel Farage, Nicola Sturgeon, Giorgia Meloni, and Matteo Salvini – reacted to the first and second lockdowns on their Twitter accounts, communicating directly to their people. The analysis was carried out following a c...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Andrea Cifalinò, Ester Di Silvestro, Marco Venuti
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: LED - Edizioni Universitarie di Lettere Economia Diritto 2023-12-01
Series:Lingue Culture Mediazioni
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.ledonline.it/index.php/LCM-Journal/article/view/5054
Description
Summary:Abstract In this paper we analyse how populist leaders in UK and Italy – namely Nigel Farage, Nicola Sturgeon, Giorgia Meloni, and Matteo Salvini – reacted to the first and second lockdowns on their Twitter accounts, communicating directly to their people. The analysis was carried out following a combined qualitative and quantitative approach to discourse. The qualitative analysis focused on comparing populist leaders’ rhetorical and semiotic choices, while the quantitative analysis observed the response by the community of common Twitter users. This work aims on the one hand at unveiling the strategic use of social media by populist leaders and on the other at investigating conflictual interactional dynamics, especially in times of crisis.
ISSN:2284-1881
2421-0293