The Digital Discourse of Romanian Social Media Prosumers During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

"The Digital Discourse of Romanian Social Media Prosumers during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Social media platforms provide the digital playground for users to manifest a strong form of clicktivism and, at the same time, a deep sense of belonging. In this digital space, users produce discourses with in-built ideologies which have a strong impact on society. Through digitized practices (following, sharing, commenting, posting), users become social actors who design and redesign their behaviour and life choices in relation to the individuals and groups which they follow online on a regular basis. In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, through the use of social media, various users have become movers and shakers in Romania. This study aims to analyse the new media discourse showing the Romanian people’s attitude towards the Covid-19 pandemic in the time span of September-October 2021. As such, the linguistic manifestation of users (including micro-celebrities and public figures) was reflected in the polarization of Romanian society, resulting in people mistrusting authorities, and medical experts and giving voice to users who would not normally have a voice in the matter of a global pandemic. Keywords: clicktivism, digital discourse, digitized practices, prosumers, debunking "