Representational Contestation of Militarized Lockdown in the Philippines: Examining Socio-Semantic Networks Of #Oustdutertenow and #Istandwiththepresident

Date of Award

12-1-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Data Science

First Advisor

Maria Mercedes T. Rodrigo, PhD

Abstract

This thesis investigates the production of contested representations of militarized lockdown by examining the emergence and growth of two online social movements for and against a populist ruler during a global health crisis. Using the Philippines as a case study, the research examines the #oustdutertenow and #istandwiththepresident movements on Twitter – two online movements that became viral amidst public discontent over the Duterte government’s militaristic response against the COVID-19 pandemic. Tweets with the hashtags were mined from Twitter from April 1 to 2, 2020. Socio-semantic networks reveal contesting representations of government response by pro-Duterte and anti-Duterte groups. Study One showed that Anti-Duterte accounts represent militarized lockdown as a harsh betrayal of public trust, means for political harassment, and an improper response to the pandemic, calling for the ousting of the president. Pro-Duterte accounts represent the militarized lockdown as a necessary response to the pandemic, expressing support for the president and attacking media outfits perceived to be biased. The centrality of certain anti-Duterte hashtags in the pro-Duterte socio-semantic network suggest internal contestation. Further analysis of discussions in the pro-Duterte social and socio-semantic network in Study Two reflects contestations by anti-Duterte accounts. Anti-Duterte accounts contested discussions in two main ways: tweeting hashtags and images resonant with the main representations in the #oustdutertenow movement and tweeting hashtags and images from fandoms to drown out #istandwiththepresident tweets. Despite making up a significant proportion of accounts in the pro-Duterte social network, they remain peripheral within pro-Duterte echo chambers. This is evinced by the lower centrality scores of anti-Duterte accounts and the high assortativity of the #istandwithepresent social network. The research demonstrates the utility of methods for network analysis in examining how meanings are contested and information permeates in online social movements.

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