"I'm afraid World War Three is inevitable" : A Critical Discourse Analysis of German Social Media Comments on the Russo-Ukraine War

Abstract: This thesis presents a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of comments about the Russo- Ukraine war on Facebook and Instagram from February 2022 until March 2023 and points out topics that are dominantly discussed and stereotypes that are used in connection to the war. For this, critical discourse analysis (CDA) was employed as analytical framework and method (Fairclough, 2010). Related concepts were taken into consideration such as ideology, power and hegemony (Gramsci, 1971) as well as Lippmann’s theory of stereotypes (1922). Furthermore, the users’ emotional connection to topics and stereotypes was established by conducting a sentiment analysis with the help of a word-emotion association lexicon (Mohammad & Turney, 2011). This lexicon was elaborated in the process of analysis: Irony as a new category emerged. Results suggest that online users judge individuals and groups of people, such as refugees and whole nations in predictable, simple, often negative categories or stereotypes as Lippmann (1922) described it over a hundred years ago. Whereas users express solidarity and love towards Ukrainians who stay in the country and fight bravely against the aggressor Russia at the beginning of the war, negative views are expressed towards Ukraine refugees and refugees in general who flee to Europe. Furthermore, Russophobic comments can be found and the current war situation is compared to the Second World War. Thereby, users make use of irony in comments about dystopian scenarios such as facing a possible Third World War with nuclear strikes. Those results are critically discussed in connection to nationalist and populist ideologies.