Challenging So-called Fake Media's Power Abuse with Social Media Verbal Abuse: Analysis of Twitter Interactions

Abstract

The present research focuses on discursive practices of political activists and media persons on Twitter by drawing on the discourse-centred online ethnography for critical discourse analysis of the interactions. Studying these interactions, we argue that political activists’ resistance against mainstream media persons’ commentary serves to discredit these media persons and poses a challenge to their authority in their field of opinion-making. The study explores how the unknown political activists react to the political commentary of media persons and what referential and predicational strategies the two practices for representing each other. The study finds that in their political resistance against media persons’ power, the activists not only resort to abusive language but also humour and pun as discursive strategies in response to media persons’ critique of their political leadership and party. Allegations of misuse of media power, lobbying, and being sold out to political parties in addition to criticism on media persons based on gender, ethnicity, and facial features also resonate on Twitter.