A Masked Truth? Public Discussions about Face Masks on a French Health Forum - HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Article dans une revue Minerva Année : 2023

A Masked Truth? Public Discussions about Face Masks on a French Health Forum

Résumé

By analyzing the discussion on a health forum, we examine how wearing sanitary masks during the COVID-19 pandemic changed people’s lives and what adjustments were required. During our review, we encountered conspiracy theories that led to heated exchanges between participants. Surprisingly, these interactions promoted, rather than prevented, collective exploration and resulted in a rich discussion of the issues related to wearing masks. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, we first analyze the dynamics of the discussion, its progression, and the conditions under which it was maintained over time, even given the radical expression of irreconcilable positions. Second, we examine the results of the discussion in terms of describing the problems triggered by the mask and the different authorities on which these descriptions were based. We conclude that the boundaries between science and non-science were occasionally blurred because of the wavering of scientific authorities and the uncertainty of the questions related to the pandemic, rather than because of a generalized distrust of science. We recognize that paradoxically, “conspiracist” theories contribute to the production of knowledge and that the adherence to these theories may stem more from the personal experiences of the individuals who profess them, rather than from the contaminating power of fake news.
Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
A Masked Truth Akrich-Cochoy A paraître Minerva.pdf ( 478.57 Ko ) Télécharger
Origine : Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s)
Loading...

Dates et versions

halshs-04369652, version 1 (02-01-2024)

Identifiants

Citer

Madeleine Akrich, Franck Cochoy. A Masked Truth? Public Discussions about Face Masks on a French Health Forum. Minerva, 2023, 61 (3), pp.315-334. ⟨10.1007/s11024-023-09493-0⟩. ⟨halshs-04369652⟩
71 Consultations
9 Téléchargements
Dernière date de mise à jour le 05/05/2024
comment ces indicateurs sont-ils produits

Altmetric

Partager

Gmail Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Plus