The discursive construction of climate denialism on Telegram

Abstract

Despite the scientific consensus on climate change, climate denial remains widespread. This is because the instrumentalization of ignorance on digital platforms plays a decisive role. Therefore, this article analyzes the discursive construction of climate denialism in Brazilian Telegram groups. The research addresses how the strategic use of ignorance and climate disinformation campaigns, orchestrated by various actors, manifest themselves in this digital ecosystem. Methodologically, a virtual ethnography was conducted to capture how climate change themes are articulated to form denialist meanings and identities, using Laclau and Mouffe's (2015) articulatory-discourse method to identify the nodal point of discursive formation. It is observed that, starting in 2022, there was an exponential increase in the sharing of denialist discourses in these groups. These discourses are constructed through articulatory practices that create provisional meanings and identities, often appropriating gaps between promise and reality to fill them with conspiratorial narratives.