Scammer Exchange: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Critical discourse analysts are increasingly required to account for multimodal phenomena constructed through language and other resources (e.g. images, sound and music) and to relate high-level critical insights on the social motivations of these texts to their realizations in low-level expressive phenomena, and vice versa. In this paper, we use interactive software resources for critical multimodal discourse analysis (O'Halloran, K.L. (2011b). Multimodal analysis and digital technology. In A. Baldry & E. Montagna (Eds.), Interdisciplinary approaches to multimodality: Theory and practice. Readings in intersemiosis and multimedia (pp. 21–34). Campobasso: Palladino; O'Halloran, K. L., Tan, S., Smith, B. A., & Podlasov, A. (2010). Challenges in designing digital interfaces for the study of multimodal phenomena. Information Design Journal, 18(1), 2–12; Smith, B. A., Tan, S., Podlasov, A., & O'Halloran, K.L. (in press). Analyzing multimodality in an interactive digital environment: Software as metasemiotic tool. Social Semiotics) to help in achieving these aims. The field of critical discourse studies, itself being interdisciplinary, along with its holistic approach, is well placed to take advantage of interactive software, as these resources encourage the application, exploration and correlation of various analytical perspectives at different levels of description. Drawing on the analysis of a short video advertisement, we demonstrate how the interactive (multimodal) digital environment is one in which the discourse analyst can effectively draw upon different traditions of analysis, including ‘mainstream’ and social semiotic traditions, as well as other traditions such as media studies, to interpret dynamic audiovisual media texts in a critically self-reflexive manner.

Gay men's health typically relies on traditional forms of qualitative analysis, such as thematic analysis, and would benefit from a diversity of analytic approaches. Such diversity offers public health researchers a breadth of tools to address different kinds of research questions and, thus, substantiate different types of social phenomenon relevant to the health and wellbeing of gay men. In this article, I compare and contrast three qualitative analytic approaches: thematic, critical discourse, and conversation analysis. I demonstrate and distinguish their key analytic assumptions by applying each approach to a single data excerpt taken from a public health interview conducted for a broader study on gay men's health. I engage in a discussion of each approach in relation to three themes: its utility for gay men's health, its approach to dilemmas of voice, and its capacity for reflexivity. I advocate that qualitative researchers should capitalise on the full range of qualitative analytic approaches to achieve the goals of gay men's health. However, I specifically encourage qualitative researchers to engage with conversation analysis, not only because of its capacity to resolve dilemmas of voice and to achieve reflexivity, but also for its ability to capture forms of social life hitherto undocumented through thematic and critical discourse analysis.

It is hypothesized that with the help of styling/framing and the language used in the news reports, the least important story can be turned into a top story, and similarly a very important issue can be sidelined. The present study investigates the news related to the assassination of Afzal Kohistani, who raised his voice against honor killings in Kohistan. The study aims at identifying the various linguistic features used by the mainstream print media about the assassination of Afzal Kohistani. Furthermore, the study unveils the effect of such linguistic choices on meaning projection. The data has been gathered from five local Urdu newspapers, four national and seven international. English newspapers, and news agencies that reported this event on 7th March 2019. The critical discourse analysis provides the theoretical underpinning; furthermore, Van Dijk's (2001) and Olowe's (1993) approaches have been used for the data analysis. The finding establishes that the topic is trivialized despite the importance of the issue. Moreover, the intensity of the incident is toned down by the indifferent approach of some reporting agencies.

Bama's Karukku is examined in this study using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as a place of discursive struggle against gender, caste, and institutionalized oppression. This study investigates how Bama's narrative techniques reveal and subvert hegemonic power relations, drawing on Van Dijk's socio-cognitive approach and Fairclough's three-dimensional framework. Through Karukku's placement in the larger context of Dalit autobiographies and intersectional marginalization, the research clarifies the rhetorical and linguistic strategies that create subaltern power. The results show how Karukku's narrative fragments, code-switching, and linguistic decisions function as acts of resistance, recovering voice and negotiating identity within repressive social institutions.

In this article, critical discourse analysis (CDA) is applied to an examination of how race is discursively (re)biologized (Omi, 2010) in everyday digital discourse. Drawing on Foucault’s conception of discourse as productive of social categories (e.g., 1972; 1980) and van Dijk’s emphasis on the ideological functions of everyday language (1993), we analyzed two high-engagement multi-thread Reddit posts in which anonymous users discussed direct-to-consumer DNA testing. The results showed that Reddit users reproduced essentialist conceptions of race by equating genetic data with racial identity, often invoking scientific language, DNA percentages, and ancestry tropes to legitimize identity claims (or delegitimize the claims of others). Using a hybrid CDA approach that integrated thematic coding with discursive tools adapted from Gee (2011), we identified rhetorical patterns such as the naturalization of race, the performance of scientific legitimacy, the deflection of critique through humor, and the ambivalent discursive positioning of whiteness. We suggest that these patterns reflect the continued influence of tacit biologized conceptions of race in public discourse, and we show how whiteness is simultaneously constructed as invisible or threatened. This study contributes to critical discourse studies by illuminating how racial ideology is reproduced and contested in everyday participatory digital environments.

The object of the study is the work of the co-founder of the Pink Floyd group, English musician Roger Waters. The subject of the study is the use of critical discourse analysis to the author's texts, as well as to the content of the performer's speeches and interviews. The author examines in detail such aspects of the topic as the political position of the musician, his awareness of the current situation in the world, as well as such aspects of the "communicative event" as formats of interaction with the public, the use of specific words in the corpus of local meanings of the text, formal structures when working with time. Particular importance is attached to the fact that R. Waters currently turns out to be one of the few representatives of the West who expresses an alternative opinion, which is actually the opposite of the ideas of the political establishment. The musician manages not only to use events relevant at the time of the album's release in his work, but also to appeal to eternal themes affecting mythological plots. T. van Dijk's approach was used, which provides for the consideration of discourse as a broad communicative event focusing around the theoretical triangle "discourse-cognition-society". In accordance with the algorithm proposed by T. van Dijk, the texts of R. Waters from the period 1973–2017, as well as his latest shows and interviews, were studied. It is concluded that almost all of R. Waters' work is perfectly suited to the optics of T. van Dijk's critical discourse analysis, which is primarily explained by the uncompromising position of the musician, who is completely unprepared to put up with the unfair state of affairs in modern society. The expression of an alternative opinion presented in the texts, shows, interviews of the author is heard (especially by young people) both in the West and in the countries of the "global South", which indicates the close connection between art and politics and inspires cautious optimism. The applied kind of critical discourse analysis allowed, on the one hand, to see the productivity of T. van Dijk's ideas in relation to the field of musical culture, on the other hand, to confirm that R. Waters is an author who clearly understands the current problems of the socio-political order and vividly uses creativity to broadcast and popularize his views.

Using headlines in digital media may strongly affect readers’ socio-political cognition (Abdel-Raheem & Alkhammash, 2022). That is, departing from Van Dijk’s claim (1988), constructing headlines in media is not always viewed as a syntax issue but rather a knowledge problem. To this end, a purposive sampling of news headlines was then applied to construct the macro portrayal of Iraqis in The Guardian and Deutsche Welle, followed by a critical discourse and framing analysis using Van Dijk's (2008,2009) socio-cognitive approach and Entman’s (1991,1993) framing theory. The study arrives at the following results: Firstly, the news headlines are viewed as performing a political and empathic discourse function in The Guardian. Secondly, the results reveal that the contrastive portrayal of discourse in Deutsche Welle is the effect of the political events in Germany. The most remarkable finding to emerge from this paper is that the Iraqi refugee crisis is defined as a social problem in the Middle East where the focus is on ethnic-religious minorities, such as Yazidis and Christians. Besides, The Guardian and Deutsche Walle reinforce the idea that Iraqi refugees have experienced forced displacement, brutal attack, exodus, and demographic relocation in Iraq, where ISIS is the main factor behind the crisis.

This study aims to describe how the media represents the social conditions of the Bugis-Makassar ethnic community in South Sulawesi in the film Uang Panaik. This research uses a qualitative method with Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), employing the Social Cognitive Approach by Teun A. Van Dijk. Teun A. Van Dijk's discourse theory consists of three categories: text, social cognition, and social context. The content of the text focuses on the screenplay of the film. Social cognition discusses the outcomes of the events depicted in the film. Afterward, it refers to the social context by illustrating the values of the society. The results of the study show that the critical discourse analysis of the film Uang Panaik Maha(R)L in terms of the text category includes macrostructure, superstructure, and microstructure. The social cognition category includes the creation of characters, language, and story conflicts. The social context category includes the representation of social phenomena, moral messages, and religious messages in the film Uang Panaik Maha(R)L.

This research aims to explain the concept of religious tolerance of Mun'im Sirry from the reconstruction and reinterpretation of Sura al-Kafirun. This is library research using qualitative method and descriptive-explanatory research design. The analysis employed in this research is Critical Discourse Analysis by Teun A. Van Dijk. The authors use Critical Discourse Analysis to reveal the various strategic interests behind the writing of Sirry‘s commentary and the struggles of social and understanding of groups. The result of this research explains that the concept of religious tolerance offered by Sirry does not only stop in sociological framework, but, more than that, it also extends tolerance in a theological framework. In Sirry's perspective, Muslims need not only to respect, appreciate, acknowledge differences in belief with followers of other religions and live in harmony (sociological field), they also need to acknowledge the recognition of the possible salvation of other religious followers in the hereafter (theological field). Furthermore, the discourse cannot be separated from the power of the West as the controller of science and the ideologies that influence the discourse are rationalism, empiricism, or neo-mu‘tazilism.

The media, especially movies, play a significant role in disseminating information and shaping real-life images using language as a powerful social tool. Critical analysis of movie discourse has become a popular trend among discourse analysts, yet there is limited research on films related to the massacre of Hindu Pandits. In recent years, there has been an increase in anti-Pakistani/Muslim movies produced in Bollywood, coupled with a growing interest among students from the sub-continent in these films. This trend underscores the need for research into the portrayal of Pakistani Muslims in Bollywood movies. This article critically analyzes “The Kashmir Files,” a movie accused of being propagandistic, using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) with Van Dijk’s framework. The analysis aims to reveal any ideological manipulations and misrepresentations in the movie. It was found that the film employs a discursive strategy of in-group favoritism versus out-group derogation. The filmmakers use language as a tool to portray Muslims negatively, presenting a distorted and unrealistic image of Pakistani/Muslim history, culture, and ideologies. This approach indicates the film’s underlying ideological biases and potential impact on viewers’ perceptions.Keywords: Van Dijk’s Framework, Critical Discourse Analysis, Ideological Biases, Muslim Portrayal, Propaganda

This study explores the administrative law enforcement from three perspectives, namely, discourse, cognition and society, according to van Dijk’s theory of critical discourse studies. “Discourse” is the essential linguistic analysis of administrative law enforcement, which may lead to the tension between law-executors and law-breakers, as well as to ease the conflicts and achieve the balance, so that the discourse mode with considerable tolerance and explanation is of great significance for improving the current practice of administrative law enforcement. “Cognition” deals with psychological model based on cognitive and social psychology. In the interaction of administrative law enforcement, the social roles are institutionalized by the context, which is achieved through knowledge background, cognitive methods, communicative purpose, role expectations and information transmission. “Society” focuses on the investigation of institutions, powers and groups based on sociology. There are normative factors and non-normative variables in the administrative law enforcement: the former refers to superior will, judicial review, supervision and defense of law-breaker, while the latter involves administrative habits and experience, natural emotions, interest and mass media. In the institutional context, social variables affect the implementation of administrative law enforcement in different discourse modes.

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) pertains to the examination of language or linguistic usage. The objectives of this investigation were twofold: firstly, to identify the types of CDA evident in Selena Gomez's speeches, and secondly, to delineate the social cognition apparent within her speeches. The researcher employed Teun A. Van Dijk's (1998) Critical Discourse Analysis theory as the theoretical framework. Employing qualitative and descriptive methodologies, this study aimed to depict and scrutinize the data. The analysis primarily focused on dissecting the critical discourse present in Selena Gomez's speech texts. Through this analysis, three categories of CDA elements were identified in Selena Gomez's speeches: firstly, thematic elements, comprising a single category; secondly, syntactic style elements, subdivided into five categories, namely Persuasion, Impression Management, Attribution, Cohesion, and Pronoun usage; thirdly, semantic style elements, which were further categorized into Background and Detail, as well as Presupposition; and fourthly, schemata, classified into three segments: the opening section, the content, and the closing section. Additionally, several elements contributing to social cognition were discerned, including person schemas, self-schemes, and role schemes

Islamic lectures are potent media for people to influence others, specific groups, and society. Based on this case, this research aims to identify and analyze the types of persuasive strategies used by Zakir Naik in his Islamic Lecture under the theme “Islam and the 21st Century,” which took place at the Oxford Union. This descriptive and qualitative research used the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) approach proposed by Teun A. Van Dijk. Furthermore, Aristotle’s Rhetorical Theory of Persuasion was employed to support the analysis of how persuasive strategies were applied in the Islamic lecture. The data of this research were the sentences of the speech text transcription, which contained persuasive strategies spoken by Zakir Naik in his “Islam and the 21st Century” Oxford Union Islamic Lecture uploaded on his YouTube Channel. The results show three categories of “socio-cognitive” CDA by Teun A. Van Dijk, namely, text, cognition, and social context, which are used to analyze the speech text and its relation to social and power. Concerning this, the persuasive strategies analysis shows that Zakir Naik uses three types of rhetorical proofs from a total of 121 data, which include ethical proof (ethos), logical proof (logos), and emotional proof (pathos). Ethos is the most common rhetorical proof in his Islamic lecture, making up 63.5% of the speech. It is followed by pathos (33.58% of the speech) and logos (27.22% of the speech).

Digital ethnography is proposed in this theoretical paper as a methodological innovation for investigating transpersonal care phenomena in contemporary public health contexts. The relevance of this research to public health is considered paramount, as the importance of holistic, spiritually integrated approaches to care that transcend traditional biomedical models is increasingly being recognized by healthcare systems globally. A new theoretical framework, termed the Digital Transpersonal Care Framework (DTCF), has been developed and is presented, which represents a significant departure from existing methodologies in public health research. The novelty of DTCF is found in its unique integration of three previously disconnected domains: transpersonal nursing theory, digital anthropological methods, and consciousness studies, through which an unprecedented approach to understanding spiritual dimensions of health in digital environments has been created. Unlike traditional ethnographic methods that are confined to physical spaces or existing digital health research that focuses primarily on technological functionality, the consciousness-based, spiritual aspects of healing relationships as they manifest in online environments are specifically addressed by DTCF. Building on Watson’s (2008) Transpersonal Caring Theory and recent developments in digital anthropology, it is argued that unique affordances for capturing the multidimensional nature of transpersonal experiences that are increasingly relevant to public health practice are offered by digital ethnography. Through systematic analysis of methodological literature and theoretical frameworks, a comprehensive approach has been developed that addresses three critical gaps in public health research. Firstly, the limitations of traditional ethnography in capturing transpersonal phenomena that are essential to holistic public health approaches are addressed. Secondly, the need for methodological tools that can investigate collective consciousness and spiritual dimensions of healing in digital spaces, which have become integral to modern healthcare delivery, is recognized. Thirdly, the absence of theoretical frameworks linking digital methods with transpersonal theory in ways that can inform public health policy and practice is identified. The theoretical contribution is found in the conceptualization of digital spaces as legitimate fields for transpersonal experiences and the proposal of specific methodological protocols for their investigation within public health contexts. Profound implications for public health practice are held by this framework, with new ways to understand and facilitate healing relationships in telehealth settings, online support communities, and digital mental health interventions being offered. The DTCF is found to be particularly useful for public health as evidence-based approaches to integrate spiritual care into digital health services are provided, the growing need for culturally sensitive healthcare delivery in diverse online populations is addressed, and methodological tools to evaluate the effectiveness of consciousness-based interventions in improving health outcomes across populations are offered.

PurposeAs a result of the advancement of the online environment, several methodological proposals emerged to establish procedures for digital qualitative research. While the various online ethnography methods overlap, they are not equivalent in terms of their theoretical bases, procedures and goals. The purpose of this article is to add clarity to their main differences, depicting specificities, potentialities and limitations of each method.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual article results from an integrative literature review that brought together studies that proposed, debated or used qualitative research methods in the digital environment. The research focused on the primary indexed journals publishing cultural studies in the past 20 years.FindingsThe literature review highlights four methods – virtual ethnography, digital ethnography, netnography and the post-application programming interface ethnography. The integrative literature review adds clarity depicting the main premises and procedures of each method. The present analysis positions the different methods considering two dimensions: the focus on the boundaries of the group/culture investigated, and the focus on the platform agency, affordances and specific dynamics.Originality/valueThe article proposes a comparative framework outlining points of convergence and divergence to create a reference for researchers on topics of significance while designing and conducting a research study in a digital environment. This conceptual organization highlights and supports qualitative researchers on their methodological challenges.