Discursive structures and power relations in Covid-19 knowledge production

This article critically examines the discourse surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic, focusing on the polarization evident in social media debates. It argues that social media's role in mediating the pandemic has exacerbated the effects of epidemic psychology by facilitating continuous commentary and linguistic interaction. This interaction, often lacking reliable knowledge, constitutes a form of knowledge production, revealing power relations inherent in such processes. The paper critiques two discursive structures of exclusion: the terms "science" and "conspiracy theory." These terms, used as strategies of dialogic contraction, are criticized for their hegemonic assumptions about knowledge production and their simplistic view of ideology. Instead, the paper proposes a Foucauldian approach that acknowledges the inherent ideology in all knowledge production and power's role in shaping it.

Mario Bisiada