Desinformação e produção discursiva do medo no cenário da vacinação contra a Covid-19 no Brasil

Abstract

Fear is a shock-emotion triggered by the awareness of imminent danger (Delumeau, 2007). When it becomes collective, fear can turn into panic, as seen during the coronavirus pandemic, which amplified this and other emotions, especially due to the infodemic—that is, the overabundance of information caused by fake news and post-truth. Considering this scenario, this study aims to describe and analyze the discursive functioning of post-truth and fake news and their respective relationships with emotions, taking into account the historical context of the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccination. From a theoretical-methodological perspective, this research is based on Foucauldian Discourse Studies, employing the concepts of discourse, subject, truth, power, biopolitics, State racism, and governmentality, alongside discussions on necropolitics by Achille Mbembe (2020), infodemic by Massarani et al. (2021), the history of fear by Delumeau (2009), liquid fear by Bauman (2022), as well as those related to the history of emotions (Courtine, 2016; Courtine; Corbin; Vigarello, 2020). To construct our discussion, we will use as a corpus false statements about Covid-19 vaccines found on alternative media websites Terra Brasil Notícias and Jornal Tribuna Nacional, as well as speeches made by the former president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, through live broadcasts on his digital social media platforms. Through our analysis, we will demonstrate that the discursive production of fear serves as a basis for the emergence and spread of disinformation, generating collective fear and fostering the rise of anti-vaccine and anti-science narratives. Additionally, it leads to public distrust in institutions responsible for producing truth.