Table 1.
Top codes by prevalence.
| Narrative Trope | Explanation | Prevalence (Percentage of Final Codebook) |
|---|---|---|
| Corrupt Elites | Populist framing of a righteous majority versus corrupt elite. Elite perceived as forcing lockdowns and health practices for their own financial gain (e.g., big pharma) and/or power. | 20.4% |
| Vaccine Injury | A catch-all for all of the harms the vaccine can do to you, from physical deformities to mental illness to microchips that violate your autonomy/privacy. | 12.1% |
| Sinister Origins | The people who intentionally created the COVID vaccine are shadowy and suspicious. Geopolitical powers and intelligence agencies are likely implicated. | 10.4% |
| Freedom under Siege | Common rights such as speech, assembly, or autonomy are being stripped from you! This claim attempts to hijack feelings of protection, vulnerability, and the sacred. | 9.3% |
| Health Freedom | Frames public health as a matter of individual freedom rather than collective responsibility. “My body, my choice” misapplied to vaccines. Tied to religious freedom/freedom of speech. | 7.8% |
| Rhetorical Strategies | Explanation | Prevalence |
| Think of the Children! | Frames this as an advocacy campaign for protecting children. Uses emotionally affecting (manipulative) images of cute children. | 16.1% |
| Do Your Own Research | States a conclusion and then urges the reader to research the reasons why. Visual clues lead to building arguments in favor of a predetermined anti-vax position. | 8.4% |
| Speaking Truth to Power | Doctors, nurses, and other professional “experts” speaking against COVID alarmism are brave whistleblowers, courageously bringing truth to the people. | 8.1% |
| Panic Button | Audio and visual cues intended to spark alarm, fear, or disgust, such as ominous music and images of needles or malformations. | 7.2% |