Date
5-2024
Document Type
Capstone Project (Open Access)
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Department
Social, Behavioral & Global Studies
Major
Social and Behavioral Science
First Advisor
Tolga Tezcan
Abstract
Throughout history, viral outbreaks have frequently led to the emergence of biased and discriminatory attitudes, often targeting populations that deviate from Western norms. These sentiments commonly manifest as xenophobia and racism (Chen, 2020; Chou, 2021). This report serves as an in-depth analysis of the role far-right political phrasing of Covid-19 as the “Chinese Virus,” played in the proliferation of anti-Asian and xenophobic attitudes, expressed on the social media platform X (Twitter). This study also aims to better understand the various different factors that cause followers of far-right politics to engage and believe in anti-Asian sentiment online. Using Integrated Threat Theory as a framework for this research, this paper will assess the role of far-right politics in fostering anti-Asian sentiment, the impact of social media on the spread of xenophobic attitudes during Covid-19, and the psychological and societal factors driving belief in xenophobic narratives during Covid-19. 100 Tweets from the time frame of January 2020 to December 2022, were collected and coded into ten initial codes, five axial codes, and two final selective codes, which served as the final themes/results of this research: Political Radicalization and Social/Cultural Threat Perception. These results conclude that far-right political phrasing greatly influenced the level of anti-Asian sentiment and beliefs expressed on social media during the pandemic. Followers of far-right media and political sources also displayed factors of motive being perceived threats against their own social or cultural wellbeing. This study serves to show the danger of racial labeling, and how far-right politicians contributed to the expansion of racist, xenophobic narratives during the pandemic. Future research on this topic could benefit from an expansion of this topic from a quantitative standpoint, gathering data to better understand the percent change in anti-Asian xenophobia pre and post far-right labeling of the virus.
Recommended Citation
Arnold, Robert F. III, "The Viral Spread of Xenophobia: Analyzing the Influence of Far-Right Politics on Anti-Asian Sentiment Expressed on Social Media During Covid-19." (2024). Capstone Projects and Master's Theses. 1804.
https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/caps_thes_all/1804
Included in
Applied Behavior Analysis Commons, Community Psychology Commons, Experimental Analysis of Behavior Commons, Health Psychology Commons, Human Factors Psychology Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Multicultural Psychology Commons, Personality and Social Contexts Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons, Social Justice Commons, Social Psychology and Interaction Commons