When Criticism Becomes Vilification: A Qualitative Text Analysis of YouTube Comments on Greta Thunberg

Sammanfattning

In the digital age, public figures are no longer defined solely by their actions or media representation, but also by how they are discussed and interpreted by social media audiences. This thesis explores the evolving nature of digital criticism and symbolic vilified identity construction through a qualitative text analysis of YouTube comments about Greta Thunberg from 2019 to 2024. Drawing on 840 comments sampled across time and genre, the study investigates how criticism targeting Greta Thunberg develops, and how intertextuality and satire function as strategies of symbolic vilification. The analysis reveals that digital criticism is dominated by subjective judgment and emotional venting, with minimal reliance on factual evaluation or moral reasoning. Intertextuality and satire play a central role in making symbolic meanings to vilify Greta Thunberg as a symbolic figure. The symbolic vilified identities, such as the “Hypocrite Puppet” and the “Cult Leader and Prophet of Doom” were constructed, which reflect broader cultural anxieties, political ideologies, and social perception. By tracing how digital criticism contributes to symbolic vilification through meaning making, this study explores how audiences co-construct public identity and negotiate social values in participatory media environments. The findings challenge the understanding of identity authorship and highlight the role of audience discourse in transforming individuals into culturally loaded symbols.