“It's not just about the migrants.” Anti-immigrant discourse and co-opted marginality in the online public sphere

• Main Author: Emes, Claire Stravato
• Other Authors: Arul Indrasen Chib
• Format: Thesis-Doctor of Philosophy
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Social sciences::Mass media::Alternative media
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/165344
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Lately, presumed dominant groups of citizens have expressed negative sentiments toward immigrants while claiming they are marginalized. I call these claims co-opted marginality. Co-opted marginality discourse put an unconventional association between individuals’ social situations and beliefs to the fore. Here, in-groups are disadvantaged, and outgroups are perceived as favored. The consideration defies traditional social principles and obscures the act of othering with concerns about ordering and questions how anti-immigrant discourse in the public sphere is traditionally analyzed. This dissertation explores the emergence of new narratives about immigrants, like co-opted marginality in the online environment, and suggests an alternative theoretical framework based on counterpublic theory to analyze anti-immigrant discourse. The research is based on a concurrent mixed-methods design based on semi-structured interviews (N=36) and a computer-aided content analysis of comments collected in online public forums of Singapore over six months (N= 399,599). The findings suggest that anti-immigrant discourse on social media is complex; the overt expression of negativity (xenophobia) competes with claims that engage the authorities’ responsibility and typify citizens’ fears of marginalization. The results also raise questions about social media offering opportunities for potentially influential alternative counterpublic discourses connecting via emotions, expressing co-opted marginality. It is essential to highlight that the study takes place within the specific context of a controlled media environment, possibly limiting its generalizability to different socio-political conditions. However, the thesis advocates investigating co-optation strategies online and evaluating their effects on attitudes and behaviors towards issues (e.g., racism) that are problematized by the dominant normative cognitive structure.