Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences / Xenophobia as Factor of Ideological World-Modeling in Digital Communication

Full text (.pdf)
Issue
Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences. 2023 16 (6)
Authors
Kushneruk, Svetlana L.
Contact information
Kushneruk, Svetlana L.: Chelyabinsk State University Chelyabinsk, Russian Federation; ; ORCID: 0000-0003-4447-4606
Keywords
xenophobia; world-modeling; linguistics of information and psychological war; digital communication; Telegram discourse
Abstract

The paper upholds the socio-psychological phenomenon of xenophobia as a factor of world-modeling in digital communication. The methodology of the research draws on the advances of the linguistics of information and psychological war, discourse studies and critical linguistics. The objective of the author is to identify the key strategy and systematize the speech tactics and techniques of ideological world-modeling employed by the agents of the Telegram discourse in relation to migrant workers in Russia. The main methods are discourse analysis, contextual analysis and linguoideological analysis. Xenophobia is interpreted as a macro intension lying behind the mechanisms of meaning construal about migrant labour. It determines the choice of speech strategies and tactics. The term “discourse-world of labour migration” is introduced and considered to be a conceptually complex representational structure in the Telegram discourse. It is argued that against the backdrop of it, the macro strategy of polarization, dividing ‘US’ (locals) from ‘THEM’ (migrants), is central. The named macro strategy is specified by the second-level strategy of discrimination, employed to represent the migrant workers. The key tactics are systematized. It is proved that on the formal level, each tactic can have a variety of speech patterns. On the semantic level, they are limited by the pejorative evaluation matrices, which contribute to the negative perception of the working migrants as a social actor. The results might present interest for further investigation of hate speech in the media, and can be used to prevent the marginalization of non-dominant social groups, and the spread of hostility to outgroups in virtual communication

Pages
871–883
EDN
CHQUFV
Paper at repository of SibFU
https://elib.sfu-kras.ru/handle/2311/150129

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