"Are We Done?": The Minimization of Covid-19 and the Individualization of Health in the United States

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"Are We Done?": The Minimization of Covid-19 and the "Are We Done?": The Minimization of Covid-19 and the

Individualization of Health in the United States Individualization of Health in the United States

Cassidy R. Boe

University of South Florida

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“Are We Done?”: The Minimization of Covid-19 and the

Individualization of Health in the United States

Cassidy R. Boe

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Arts

Department of Sociology

College of Arts and Sciences

University of South Florida

Co-Major Professor: S.L. Crawley, Ph.D.

Co-Major Professor: Sara Green, Ph.D.

David Rubin, Ph.D.

Date of Approval:

June 16, 2022

Keywords: Covid-19, Health, Individualism, Capitalism, Necropolitics, Narratives

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Tables ................................................................................................................................... ii

Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... iii

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1

Chapter One: Literature Review ...................................................................................................... 3

Narratives ............................................................................................................................ 3

Feminist Science Studies ..................................................................................................... 4

The Individualization of Health as Capitalist Ideology ....................................................... 7

Chapter Two: Methods .................................................................................................................. 10

Data Sampling and Retrieval ............................................................................................. 10

Data Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 11

Data Presentation ............................................................................................................... 12

Chapter Three: Findings ................................................................................................................ 15

The Minimization of Covid-19 Through Denial ............................................................... 15

“The Hoax Continues” .......................................................................................... 15

“99% Survivable” .................................................................................................. 17

“Like Fighting Off A Cold” .................................................................................. 19

The Minimization of Covid-19 Through Defiance ........................................................... 20

“I’ll Do What the Fuck I Want!” ........................................................................... 20

“Keep Believing BS, Sheep” ................................................................................. 22

The Minimization of Covid-19 Through Indifference ...................................................... 23

“When it’s Your Time, it’s Your Time” ............................................................... 23

“Why Don’t All the Fat Unhealthy Go Quarantine?” ........................................... 25

“The Cure Can’t Be Worse Than the Disease” ..................................................... 27

Discussion .......................................................................................................................... 28

Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 34

References ..................................................................................................................................... 36

Appendix A: The CDC’s Tweets About Covid-19 ....................................................................... 42

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Number of Tweets Per Month ..................................................................................... 14

iii

ABSTRACT

As the death toll from Covid-19 in the United States exceeds 1 million in just over two

years, more variants continue to emerge, threatening more waves of Covid-19 and ultimately,

more deaths. Despite this, mask use continues to decline, and one third of Americans say that the

pandemic is over. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been central in

publicly disseminating biomedical knowledge using Twitter. The CDC’s Twitter account

(@CDCgov) shares information related to the spread of Covid-19, including mitigation measures

such as mask recommendations and vaccine information. I have conducted a narrative analysis of

the replies to the CDC’s tweets about Covid-19 to understand narratives within the public’s

response to CDC public health information dissemination. In this thesis, I demonstrate how,

under capitalism, narratives of health focus on individualism, rejecting concern or responsibility

for public health. A significant circulating narrative in public discourse on Twitter minimizes the

severity of the Covid-19 pandemic. I argue that this narrative is evidence of the individualization

of health under capitalism in the United States, and how necropolitical power is deployed

through the minimization discourse, creating the conditions of slow violence and death worlds

for the most vulnerable.

INTRODUCTION

As the death toll from Covid-19 in the United States exceeds 1 million in just over two

years, more variants continue to emerge (Weiß 2022), threatening more waves of Covid-19 and

ultimately, more deaths. Not only have we lost over a million people, but more than 20 million

people lost their jobs in the first several months of the pandemic (Soucheray 2020). An estimated

30-40 million Americans are at risk of eviction (Benfer et al. 2021), and 10 million have become

food insecure (Feeding America 2021). The economic fallout, which has been referred to as the

worst since the Great Depression (Benfer et al. 2021), is not the only devastating effect of Covid-

19. For those lucky enough to survive a case of the virus, an estimated 10-30% could experience

long-term side effects (Rubin 2020; Yoo et al. 2022). What’s more, these physical and economic

effects have been especially cruel to the most marginalized in the U.S., as already existing

disparities have been exacerbated by the pandemic (Perry et al. 2021).

Despite this, the federal mask mandate for public transportation was lifted on April 18, 2022

(Savage and Murphy 2022) and the response from much of the American public was celebratory.

Mask use continues to decline, and one third of Americans say the pandemic is over despite

rising cases (Ipsos 2022). However, the Covid-19 pandemic is far from over. Not only do new

variants continue to emerge, but hundreds continue to die each day in the U.S.

, making the

possibility of a post-Covid-19 world seem forever distant.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been central in disseminating

biomedical knowledge surrounding Covid-19. One avenue through which they share information

with the public is Twitter. The CDC’s Twitter account (@CDCgov) shares information related to

On May 1, 2022 the CDC data tracker website reported that the daily average was 308 deaths in the U.S.

the spread of Covid-19, including mitigation measures such as mask recommendations and

vaccine information. Anyone with a Twitter account may reply to the CDC’s tweets. While some

of the CDC’s tweets generated only a handful of replies from the public, other tweets garnered

hundreds if not thousands of replies. These replies are rich with information on the public

discourse surrounding Covid-19.

In this thesis, I demonstrate how one narrative on Twitter surrounding Covid-19 is the

minimization of the severity of the pandemic. I divide this minimization narrative into three

subthemes: denial, defiance, and indifference. Throughout the data that supports this theme is a

disregard for the health and safety for the most vulnerable, and a profound apathy towards mass

death. This narrative, I argue, is evidence of the individualization of health in the United States.

CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW

In the following literature review, I will discuss how narratives are meaningful, how

narratives within science are important to study and understand, how narratives within science

may become consequential, and finally, how, under capitalism, health is individualized and

therefore the pursuit of health is the pursuit of the individual’s, not the public’s, health.

Narratives

In order to make sense of our lives, we organize information through stories. Stories, or

narratives, create meaning out of experiences. Polkinghorne (1991) states that schematic

knowing, or narratives, “[allow] us to experience life as a whole, rather than simply one event

following another” (p. 138). There are multiple types and levels of narratives that together

comprise our understandings of ourselves and the world. Loseke (2007) posits that there are four

categories of narrative that all influence each other through their “reflexive relationship”: cultural

narratives (macro-level), institutional narratives (meso-level), organizational narratives (meso-

level), and personal narratives (micro-level). Narratives at the cultural level present in two ways.

They may be stories of unique individuals or generalized characters. Both depend on the public,

or those being presented the narrative, having existing beliefs about the group of people that the

individual or character represents (Loseke 2011). Cultural narratives are distinct from

institutional narratives. However, cultural narratives can become institutionalized. Loseke states,

"While cultural narratives of identity might—or might not—be evaluated as believable and

important by a significant number of people and therefore might--or might not--shape the

symbolic world, narratives of institutional identities are, by definition, consequential (2007:667).

Institutional narratives influence public policy by constructing target populations. All people

either become a target population for public policy or are excluded from being a target for public

policy. As Loseke explains, "Some types of people are constructed as morally good and

deserving of sympathy and help while other types of people are constructed as morally deficient

and deserving of condemnation and punishment" (2007:669). Organizational narratives create

groups of people that are "in need of repair" (Loseke 2007:670). They are more likely to come

from formula stories than from institutional narratives. We may use formula stories to make

sense of both others and our own self-narratives.

Feminist Science Studies

Narratives were not of interest to social scientists until the past several decades when the

idea of objectivity was more seriously questioned (Green & Loseke 2019). The biological

sciences are often believed to be “objective” and “unbiased” areas of knowledge construction,

but recent decades of feminist scholarship have demonstrated that all knowledge is socially

constructed and political, and this includes the biological sciences (Harding 1992b; Spanier,

1995). Scientific knowledge cannot exist outside of the social structures that produce it, and

therefore cannot exist without their influence. Thus, narratives within science are important to

study and understand.

One field that has paid particular attention to narratives of science is the field of feminist

science studies, also known as feminist technoscience studies (Åsberg & Lykke 2010) or queer

feminist science studies (Cipolla et al. 2017). Despite decades of feminist critiques of science

from within the field, “the cloak of ‘pure science’ and objectivity continues to surround the

sciences” (Subramanian, 2009:952). However, feminist science studies scholars explain that

scientific knowledge is not as “objective” as many believe and wish it to be. Haraway explains

that all knowledge is situated: it is influenced by who is producing it, and their social location

(1988: 581). In explaining that no one can have an entirely objective view she states, “Vision is

always a question of the power to see—and perhaps of the violence implicit in our visualizing

practices. With whose blood were my eyes crafted?” (1988:586). Knowledge production is

political and, therefore, consequential for those that are subjects rather than producers of

knowledge.

Feminist science studies does not say that objectivity cannot exist, but that objectivity

cannot be neutral (Harding 1992a; Singh & Klinge 2015). The belief that objectivity is neutral

does not work out in practice, partly because it does not take into account that all knowledge is

situated. Harding describes several ways of determining what counts as knowledge. Sociological

relativism acknowledges that the types of information that are considered knowledge depend on

the person and their culture. Absolutists believe that there is only one way to determine what

counts as knowledge. Those cultures that have not adapted to this way of thinking are simply

more primitive. Epistemological relativism states that, "each of these (often conflicting)

standards that different groups use is equally valid, equally good" (1992a:576). This would make

the views of the oppressor and the oppressed equivalent, which ignores that all knowledge is

situated. Harding explains that to abandon the "neutrality ideal" is to abandon epistemological

relativism. Furthermore, current techniques to make science research objective are only used

after the "'context of discovery': after a problem is identified as a scientific one and a hypothesis

and testing procedures are selected" (1992a:577). In the process of determining what gets to be

defined as a scientific problem, bias and "culture-wide assumptions" (1992a:578) shape the

resulting scientific knowledge. Harding explains that the neutrality ideal is not just impractical

but makes objectivity impossible. She presents her concept of "strong objectivity" instead.

Strong objectivity would account for the assumptions and bias at each step of the research,

including the “context of discovery.” She concludes that strong objectivity leads to the value of

standpoint epistemologies.

Within the strong objectivity lens there are two main approaches to the framework:

feminist empiricism and feminist standpoint approach (Singh and Klinge 2015). Harding (1992b)

explains that feminist empiricists believe that scientific methods do not need to be changed, but

just need to be done with more care, in order to eliminate bias in research. Standpoint

epistemologists, on the other hand, believe that the methods themselves are biased and cannot be

just done better in order to eliminate bias (Harding 1992b). Several scholars, however, have

critiqued Harding’s definition of feminist empiricism (e.g., Campbell 1994; Nelson 1990;

Longino 1990; Longino 1993) and stressed the importance of the approach for “the introduction

of feminist political goals to the empirical study of science” (Singh and Klinge 2015:18).

Standpoint epistemology tries to understand what effects the politics of the knowledge

producers have on the knowledge they produce. Harding explains, "Thus the standpoint claims

that all knowledge attempts are socially situated, and that some of these objective social

locations are better than others as starting points for knowledge projects, challenges some of the

most fundamental assumptions of the scientific world view and the Western thought that takes

science as its model of how to produce knowledge" (1992a: 444). Standpoint knowledge is for

marginalized people rather than about marginalized people. Starting knowledge from

marginalized lives is the basis of standpoint epistemology (Harding 1992a).

Feminist science studies teaches that the pursuit of scientific “truth” is not without

consequence. The partial perspectives of scientific knowledge create partial perspectives of

reality (Spanier 1995). These perspectives that are presented as objective and neutral work to

reinforce the existing social order. Weasel explains, “the discourse of science serves to reinforce

prevailing social and cultural stereotypes, making them appear ‘natural’” (2001:30). These

narratives within science then may become institutionalized, and therefore, as Loseke explains,

consequential.

The Individualization of Health as Capitalist Ideology

The infamous American Dream relies on the idea that one can achieve what they want to

achieve as long as they put their mind to it and, ultimately, make the right “choices.”

Our “freedom” to make “choices” is the epitome of Western capitalist values. In every area of

life, we are consumers with choices to make, and our circumstances are seen as purely due to our

choices. If we find ourselves in poor circumstances, we simply made a wrong choice or two. If

we work hard and make the right choices, we can escape our circumstances. Harjunen explains,

“individuals are seemingly offered the freedom to choose to do what they want with their bodies,

and moreover, bestowed with a moral and social responsibility to do so” (2017:8). In terms of

health, Americans valuing choice leads us to believe that our health is in our control if only we

make the correct health “choices.” As the pursuit of health in American culture is seen as a

morally good pursuit, health is seen as something that each individual can and should achieve by

making the right choices. And further, as Crawford explains, “As health becomes a super-value,

those who fail to seek it become near pariahs” (1980:379). A failure to make the right health

choices, a failure to be healthy, is seen as a moral failure of the individual. This exemplifies

American individualist ideology, which is rooted in and reinforced by capitalism. As Dean

(2016) explains,

The era of communicative capitalism

is an era of commanded individuality. The

command circulates in varying modes. Each is told, repeatedly, that she is unique and

encouraged to cultivate this uniqueness. We learn to insist on and enjoy our difference,

intensifying processes of self-individuation. No one else is like us (like me). The ‘do-it-

yourself’ injunction is so unceasing that ‘taking care of oneself’ appears as politically

significant instead of as a symptom of collective failure—we let the social safety net

unravel—and economic contraction—in a viciously competitive job market we have no

choice but to work on ourselves (25)

The individualization of health under capitalism leads to a definition of health as not a human

right that should be afforded to all, but an achievement that one must always be working towards

by making “healthy choices” and “working on ourselves.”

In Calling the Shots (2016), Jennifer Reich discusses the individualization of health that

leads to choices that put others’ health at risk. Specifically, Reich investigates the decisions of

parents who choose to opt out of vaccinating their children. She finds that the majority of

children in the U.S. that do not get all of their recommended vaccines are children with lack of

access to healthcare and other resources. However, the majority of parents who willfully choose

to not vaccinate their children are white and economically privileged. The decision of those with

access to vaccines to not vaccinate their children ultimately puts those with less access at risk.

However, parents largely understand this and choose to not vaccinate their children, anyway.

These parents are individualizing health: they are putting the perceived health of their individual

child above the collective health of all children in their communities. Reich finds that one reason

that they feel justified in this decision is that they do not believe that they are getting anything

Communicative capitalism refers to the current iteration of capitalism in the U.S. according to the author.

out of the social contract, and therefore do not see a need to contribute to the social contract.

Interestingly, Reich explains,

As parents claim individual expertise and the right to make their own choices, they do so

while continuing to claim that their children are entitled to public resources like publicly

funded education or use of public spaces like parks, while opting out of public obligation

(2016:237).

Reich refers to this behavior as “free-riding”: they are benefitting from the fact that the vast

majority of children are vaccinated and therefore create herd immunity, but they are not

contributing to herd immunity. This, Reich observes, is the parents’ individualism in action.

They are valuing their freedom to make choices about their child’s own health more than they

are valuing the collective health of their communities.

This thesis investigates how Twitter users respond to the CDC’s messages about Covid-

19. The literature review above prepares the reader for this investigation by discussing how

narratives are meaningful, how narratives within science may become consequential, and how,

under capitalism, health is individualized and therefore the pursuit of health is the pursuit of the

individual’s, not the public’s, health. In using content analysis of the replies to the CDC’s tweets

about Covid-19, I find that there is a narrative in public discourse that minimizes the severity of

the pandemic, and I argue that this is evidence of the individualization of health under

capitalism.

CHAPTER TWO: METHODS

In order to address my research question and understand public discourse around the

CDC’s messaging about Covid-19, I conducted a content analysis of the replies to the CDC’s

tweets about Covid-19. Twitter and other social media sites are an increasingly common site for

qualitative research. For example, Twitter data has been used to explore presentations of the self

(Papacharissi 2012), and study communication about natural disasters (Lachlan et al. 2015), as

well as other crisis events like riots (Gupta, Joshi, and Kumaraguru 2012).

Launched in 2006, Twitter now boasts over 200 million users and estimates that over 500

million tweets are sent each day. “Tweets” are Twitter posts that may contain up to 280

characters, and may include links, photos, or videos. Twitter is free and accessible to the public;

anyone with access to the internet can create an account and send tweets.

Data Sampling and Retrieval

The first mention of Covid-19 by the CDC’s Twitter account (@CDCgov) was in January

2020. Since that time, the CDC has tweeted numerous times about Covid-19, sharing updates on

case numbers and deaths, the most recent guidelines, and more. In early September of 2021, I

applied for and was granted an academic Twitter developer account, which allows me to then use

the Twitter API (Application Programming Interface). The API is what allows for

communication between Twitter and other software, letting me search for and retrieve tweets

into R Studio. On September 22, 2021, I used the API to determine the top three CDC tweets

(from Twitter account @CDCgov) with the most replies during each month, starting in January

2020, through August 2021 (See Appendix 1). I then used the R studio package academictwitteR

to retrieve the replies to each of the 54 CDC tweets.

This yielded 145, 298 tweets. An error with the API occurred for the replies to four of the

CDC’s tweets: the first tweets of December 2020, the third of April 2021, the third of May 2021,

and the third of June 2021. (My data comes from the replies to 50 CDC tweets:

18monthsx3tweets=54 tweets- 4 tweets with error=50). Resolving this error required an update

to the API, and was therefore not possible at the time I retrieved the tweets. The number of

tweets per month is shown in Table 1. I then used R studio to take a random 5% sample of each

month’s replies, leaving me with a total of 7,264 tweets. The number of tweets per month is

shown in Table 1. These tweets were then uploaded into NVivo to be qualitatively coded.

I opted to narrow my sample to the replies to the top three CDC tweets with the most

replies each month because tweets that generated more replies were more likely to generate more

discourse from the public than tweets that only had several replies, so I felt that the data would

be richer and more important under tweets that generated more discourse. I also found it to be

important to sample from multiple months rather than during a certain point in time in order to

better understand how the discourse developed and changed over time.

Data Analysis

After retrieving my data, I conducted a content analysis of the tweets using coding

methods as described by Saldaña (2013). In my initial round of coding, I remained “open to all

theoretical directions indicated by [my] readings of the data” (Charmaz 2006:46). I did not enter

the process with any hypotheses or preconceived notions about the content of my data. I began

analyzing my data by reading through each tweet and then used descriptive coding to

categorize the content of each tweet. I went through the tweets by month and coded the tweets

into broad categories. (e.g. “vaccine”). I also used simultaneous coding (Saldaña 2013) in that I

coded tweets multiple times at once if they contained multiple subjects (e.g. “vaccine” and

“masks or PPE”). In the second round of categorization, I went through the broad categories and

coded them into more specific categories (e.g. “vaccine\vaccine risks”). In the third round of

categorization, I went through the secondary codes and I coded those tweets into even more

specific categories (e.g. “vaccine\vaccine risks\reporting symptoms from the vaccine”). Lastly, I

categorized the tertiary codes into themes. In this process, the theme of minimization became

very prominent in the data. I then organized the tertiary codes under the minimization theme into

three subcodes: denial, defiance, and indifference.

Twitter replies can be thought of as a web: there may be multiple replies to a single tweet,

and each of those replies may have multiple replies, and so on. R studio was not able to

differentiate a reply to the CDC’s tweet from a reply to a reply, etc. For this reason, after a

sample was taken, some tweets were replying to a previous reply (rather than directly replying to

the CDC’s tweet). Sometimes, the context of such tweets could not be determined, and the tweet

was therefore discarded. Tweets were also discarded if they were not in English.

Data Presentation

When presenting my data below, I used several strategies in order to improve readability

and protect anonymity. They are as follows. First, to maintain anonymity, when users tagged

other accounts, those accounts are shown as @[username]. I included usernames if they were the

CDC (@CDCgov) or other CDC-affiliated accounts, or if they were a public figure, such as a

politician. Second, each tweet that is presented as evidence of the themes in this thesis are cited

based on the CDC tweet that each is replying to. They are cited as (MonthYear, A,B, or C) with

A, B, and C representing the first, second, and third most replied to CDC tweet from each month.

See Appendix A for all CDC tweets used. Third, not all emojis translated in R studio. If an emoji

did not translate, it appeared as _x000D_. This was replaced with [emoji] to improve readability.

Lastly, some tweets contained links. Rather than provide the link, I included descriptions of what

the link went to. (i.e. [Link to an article with title “ABC123”]). Sometimes, there were broken or

spam links, which were then listed as [broken link] and [unsafe link], respectively.

Table 1. Number of Tweets Per Month

Month

Total Replies from Top 3 Tweets

Total Replies After 5% Sample

Jan. 2020

834

Feb. 2020

3,837

192

Mar. 2020

4,262

213

Apr. 2020

4,575

228

May 2020

1,413

Jun. 2020

862

Jul. 2020

1,547

Aug. 2020

1,129

Sep. 2020

1,229

Oct. 2020

1,332

Nov. 2020

1,274

Dec. 2020

2,076

104

Jan. 2021

6,451

322

Feb. 2021

6,395

320

Mar. 2021

19,490

974

Apr. 2021

3,707

186

May 2021

35,727

1,786

Jun. 2021

9,869

494

Jul. 2021

30,410

1,520

Aug. 2021

8,879

444

Total:

145,298

7,264

CHAPTER THREE: FINDINGS

In this chapter, I explore the first major theme that emerged from my data: the active

minimization of the severity of the global Covid-19 pandemic. Twitter users deployed a variety

of strategies and displayed a range of strong emotions in their minimization. I have organized

these strategies into three subthemes: denial, defiance, and indifference. Throughout these

subthemes is evidence of a profound level of public apathy towards the health and safety of

others, especially the most vulnerable. I argue that this apathy is evidence of the

individualization of health under capitalism in the United States. I then discuss some of the

potential implications of this individualization.

The Minimization of Covid-19 Through Denial

The first way in which Twitter users minimized the severity of Covid-19 was through a

denial of the reality of the situation. I identified three different ways in which the public engaged

in denial: by denying that Covid-19 exists, by accepting that Covid-19 exists but denying that it

is serious because there is a high survival rate, and by denying that it is serious because in their

personal experience of having Covid-19, it was not serious for them.

“The Hoax Continues”

First, some users engaged in denial by proclaiming that Covid-19 does not exist at all. A

number of tweets used very little emotion, instead simply stating that Covid-19 is not real.

• “@[username] @CDCgov there’s no covid.” (Jul21, A)

Others approached the subject more argumentatively. For example, one user insisted that Covid-

19 was in fact proven to not exist.

• “@[username] @CDCgov Lol did you know. You mean the same covid that was just

proven, in a court of law, in record, to not exist? That covid? [emoji][emoji][unsafe link]”

(Jul21, A)

Detection of specific variants of Covid-19 is achieved through isolating the virus in a lab. In

response to the CDC warning about rising cases of the delta variant, some proclaimed that

Covid-19 could not be isolated because it was not real.

• “@CDCgov You can’t isolate what doesn’t exist.” (Jul21, A)

Still others imbedded their denial of Covid-19 in attempts to invoke a sense of distrust, implying

the existence of a conspiracy.

• “@CDCgov This is total BS. Not only are these people lying to you and me about the

‘spread’ of C-19…they are lying about how serious it is in the first place. Have you

noticed that EVERYONE you know is still here? How many funerals did you go to in the

last 18 months? C-19 is TOTAL BS.” (Jul21, A)

Others implied that a conspiracy exists through language such as “fraud,” “hoax,” and

“scamdemic” (a combination of the words scam and pandemic).

• “@CDCgov Covid is a fraud! The PCR tests have created a fake pandemic.” (Dec20, C)

• “@CDCgov The hoax continues.” (May21, A)

• “@CDCgov Hopefully this Scamdemic will soon be exposed out in the open…..

COVID19 Crimes Against Humanity, fraudulent PCR Tests Taken To Court –

Interview… [link to a deleted YouTube video]” (Nov20, A)

One user even shared an image of an article with the title, “Maker of COVID Tests Says

Pandemic is Biggest Hoax Ever Perpetrated” (Nov20, C). Lastly, some users exhibited very

strong emotions, indicated especially through the use of all capital letters, which typically

represents yelling.

• “@CDCgov The FLU has a HIGHER death rate than CORONA. WHY ARENT WE

WEARING MASKS BECAUSE OF THE FLU?! I KNOW WHY!!! Because the Corona

Virus is a H O A X” (Jul20, A)

Overall, this denial strategy demonstrates a callous approach to public health and a willful

rejection of the reality that is the global Covid-19 pandemic.

“99% Survivable”

The second section of this subtheme deals with users that did in fact believe that Covid-

19 exists, but stated that the survival rate is very high, implying that the rate of deaths was so

minimal that it was not cause for concern.

• “@[username] @CDCgov There’s a 99.97 recovery rate don’t worry about it live your

life” (Jul21, A)

• “@CDCgov 99% survivable” (Jul21, A)

• “@[username] @[username] @CDCgov Thank god it has a 99.7% survival rate.” (Jun20,

Others implied that the supposed high survival rate was evidence that the CDC and/or the

government was using Covid-19 as a way to control people.

• “@CDCgov With a 97 percent survival rate no one need to be vaccinated, get your heads

out of your asses! Total government control” (Apr21, A)

• “@CDCgov The cdc has been consistently using its platform to control policy and

freedoms for a 1% killer. It’s time to stop listening until they get their act together”

(Apr21, B)

Many people accused the CDC of fear mongering and told others that they should stop living in

fear because of the high survival rate.

• “@[username] @[username] @CDCgov Stop living in fear. 9 seatbelts is better than one

but I wear one because I’m ok with. 99.8% chance of survival” (Jul21, A)

• “@CDCgov @CDCMMWR Control tactics, fear mongering…Why not let people decide

for themselves if they want to wear a mask.. the virus has a nearly 100% survival rate…

it’s never been more than the common flu

, but they don’t treat until it’s too late for ppl

with comorbidities. That’s murder!” (Feb21, A)

• “@CDCgov But it is no more dangerous. It still has a 99.9% survival rate. And cloth and

surgical masks still don’t stop a virus. So why do you keep pushing this propaganda?”

(Aug21, A)

The exact survival rate of Covid-19 will fluctuate over time. For this reason, the variations of the

survival rate listed in each of the above tweets makes sense. It is not the statistics that I am

looking to question in including this section. Instead, what I find deserves further consideration

is the idea that if only a small percentage of our population dies, this is not cause for concern.

More than 300 million people live in the United States. If 1 million people die, that is around

0.3% of the population. Statistically, this number is very small. However, 1 million deaths from

Covid-19 is arguably a tragically high number. Therefore, this section further demonstrates the

callous attitude that Twitter users have towards the Covid-19 pandemic.

There were many people within the data that said that Covid-19 is the common flu or the common cold.

“Like Fighting Off A Cold”

The third technique that Twitter users deployed in order to deny reality and therefore

minimize the pandemic’s severity was to report that they themselves had Covid-19 and they were

fine. Some users reported that when they had Covid-19 they were only sick for several days.

• “@[username] @[username] @CDCgov Wrong, it’s 50/50 either way. I had covid-19

and it wasn’t as deadly as they claim to be. I was fine after 3 days. I even got stronger and

I can lift more that [sic] before.” (Jul21, C)

• “@[username] @CDCgov I had it, was sick for 4 days, recovered and never been sick

since, fuck your vaccine” (Mar21, A)

Others reported that their (or their children’s) symptoms were very mild.

• “@[username] @CDCgov @CDCMMWR I’m unvaxxed, caught covid, and sneezed a

couple times and got a little tired. Give me covid over a hangover or stomach flu any

day.” (Jul21, B)

• “@CDCgov Because @CDCgov doesn’t know, oh yeah that’s a good enough reason. My

children had covid. Like fighting off a cold and not even a bad cold. There will not be a

vaccine for them they have natural immunity.” (Mar21, A)

One user even inferred that they were going about their day as usual while sick with Covid-19.

• “@[username] @[username] @CDCgov @CDCMMWR Pretty much. Had the first

round no problem, I’m sure I have the ‘Deadly Delta’ Sore throat, fatigue, coughing,

coughing up phylem [sic] & blowing nose all the time. Been outside doing my daily

work. First cold I’ve had for years. My immune system is working great, almost gone..”

(Jul21, B).

This section of the denial subtheme shows that people use their own personal experiences with

Covid-19 to help them determine how they should approach the pandemic more broadly, leading

many to display a disregard for others.

The Minimization of Covid-19 Through Defiance

The next subtheme of the minimization theme deals with the response to CDC guidelines

aimed at mitigating the spread of Covid-19. There are two sections within this subtheme: general

defiance of the CDC, and defiance through calling those that follow the CDC’s guidelines

“sheep,” implying that those that follow guidelines cannot think for themselves.

“I’ll Do What the Fuck I Want!”

There were many who stated that they would not be following the CDC’s guidelines. The

users gave a variety of reasons for this decision, if they offered a reason at all. Many

demonstrated their defiance through simply stating “No.” and similar phrases in response to the

CDC announcing or reminding the public about certain guidelines and mitigation efforts.

• “@CDCgov No thanks” (Jul21, A)

• “@CDCgov Nope” (May21, A)

• “@CDCgov Heck no!!!!” (Jun21, A)

Others revealed more explicitly their intention to ignore the CDC’s guidelines.

• “@CDCgov Never stopped doing what I wanted to do. How about you but [sic] out of

people’s lives? Thank you” (Apr21, B)

• “@CDCgov Sorry, I do not listen to CDC orders. 😆🤣😆”"(Aug21, A)

• “@CDCgov I’m not vaccinated, not wearing a mask, not social distancing, and most

importantly not giving a flying shit what the CDC has to say about it…” (May21, A)

Others echoed this sentiment, but with much more emotionality.

• “@CDCgov I’ll do WHAT THE FUCK I WANT! [emoji] [emoji] How about that?”

(Jun21, C)

• “@CDCgov THE COMMUNIST DICTORIAL CENTER

CAN KISS MY ASS. I

TRAVEL WHERE AND WHEN I WANT.” (Apr21, A)

Still others insisted that not only would they not follow guidelines, but that others should not

follow them either.

• “@[username] @CDCgov STOP COMPLYING! Grow a set. Get a backbone. Stand up.”

(Apr21, B)

• “@CDCgov They are lying to you, masks don’t work to stop this. This virus will

continue to spread and so will their lies, their oppression, and their control. Do not

comply.” (Jul21, A)

• “@CDCgov @CDCMMWR

Folks….have you caught on yet? They’re making it up as

they go along and want to see what draconian rules will stick. They want complete

control. It’s time to step up and say no. Do not comply.” (Jul21, B)

Overall, this section further shows that the public’s approach to Covid-19 is largely apathetic and

even combative at times.

Communist Dictorial Center=CDC. One might conclude that this user is trying to imply that the actual CDC is

acting in similar fashion to how they believe a “communist dictator” might act. There was a total of 18 tweets

throughout the data that mentioned communism. Most of these tweets, through a variety of techniques, implied that

the CDC (or the U.S.) was acting in a “communist” way. A few even concluded that the U.S. government was trying

to emulate China.

A CDC-affiliated account. MMWR=Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

“Keep Believing BS, Sheep”

Not only did users insist that the public not comply with the CDC guidelines, but many

referred to those that were choosing to comply as “sheep,” which refers to someone that

thoughtlessly follows trends without consideration for their consequences.

• “@[username] @CDCgov @[username] They never did, the sheeple just followed like

the little sheep they are.” (Apr21, A)

Some used ableist language to further emphasize that they perceived people who follow the

guidelines as having a low level of intelligence.

• “@[username] @CDCgov Why because I question things and not a cocksucking sheep

tard like yourself.” (Jan21, A)

• “@[username] @CDCgov what an insane little sheep you are. [image of a meme that

pictures Liam Neeson on the phone. The text states, “What? Will I accept an untested

‘vaccine’ that mysteriously appeared out of nowhere? That they won’t tell us the

ingredients of ? For a virus that has never been scientifically proven to even exist?

Ahhh……No..Fuck off”]” (Aug21, A)

Others indicated that they did not believe the CDC was telling the truth, and that those who

believed the CDC were sheep.

• “@[username] @CDCgov Yeah rigth [sic], people wearing mask and the cases ‘rising’

,keep believing BS sheep.” (Dec20, C)

• “@CDCgov So many sheeple believing this face diaper nonsense. Makes me want to

puke. Fear mongering based on pseudo science.” (Jul21, A)

Some Twitter users believed that the CDC guidelines (or some other aspect of Covid-19) were a

way to control people, and that people who allowed themselves to be controlled (by following

the guidelines) were sheep.

• “@CDCgov Y’all are funny it’s been proven the mask does more damage then [sic]

good.the governments just taking more control little by little#sheep” (May21, A)

• “@CDCgov Spreading more fear. The governments way of controlling the sheep..”

(Jul21, A)

Collectively, this subtheme indicates not only an apathetic attitude towards Covid-19, but a

desire to shame and blame those that are following the CDC’s guidelines.

The Minimization of Covid-19 Through Indifference

The third subtheme of this chapter demonstrates indifference towards Covid-19. Users

demonstrated indifference by claiming that death is simply an inevitable part of life, by stating

that only certain groups of people will die and so the pandemic is not a serious situation, and by

emphasizing the importance of returning to normal.

“When it’s Your Time, it’s Your Time”

The first way through which Twitter users showed indifference was by insisting that

death is an inevitable part of life. This subtheme often overlapped with the first section: some

users not only suggested that death was inevitable but also that Covid-19 didn’t exist.

• “@CDCgov Covid isn’t real…people get sick…people die circle of life…trust in god.”

(Jul21, A)

• “@[username] @CDCgov people die every day. news flash. nobody is dying there or

anywhere else because of a virus.” (Mar21, A)

Others seemed to believe that Covid-19 existed, but expressed frustration with the CDC’s

guidelines, implying that they were willing to let people die if it meant that they didn’t, for

example, need to wear a mask anymore.

• “@[username] @[username] @CDCgov Because we’re not wearing masks forever. Let

people die no one cares anymore” (Jul21, A)

Many users used their existing knowledge of other illnesses, such as influenza and pneumonia, to

interpret the risk and seriousness of Covid-19.

• “@CDCgov And how long are you covered with getting the vaccine? I’ll wait.......NOT

sure? Well the same as having COVID, you don’t know. People need to get a grip, this is

no different than the flu. People die from flu, pneumonia and other sickness, it’s life.”

(Jun21, A)

Some used their ideas about inevitable death to reduce and dismiss the concerns of others.

• “@[username] @[username] @[username] @[username] @CDCgov can you imagine

that tragedies happen every day. life is not a guarantee and our time is short here so quit

being a little bitch and live it while you can. imagine that” (May21, A)

• “@CDCgov #FREETHEFACE. It doesn’t matter if you’re vaccinated or not you can still

catch it. 8 baseball players did, and they are fully vaccinated. STOP THE MADNESS.

WHEN ITS YOUR TIME. ITS YOUR TIME. SMH

” (May21, A)

Altogether, this subtheme builds on the first two to further demonstrate an unsympathetic

approach to public health and mass death in the context of the global Covid-19 pandemic.

SMH=Shaking my head. It is used to express frustration or disappointment.

“Why Don’t All the Fat Unhealthy Go Quarantine?”

Twitter users also minimized the severity of Covid-19 by implying that only certain

groups of people will die from Covid-19 (such as the immunocompromised or the elderly) and

that therefore the situation is not serious.

• “@[username] @[username] @[username] @CDCgov And for that I give my

condolences. However that doesn’t change the fact that this virus is exceptionally

survivable for certain age groups. Most of the people who did not survive had either pre-

existing conditions. I had it and got through it just fine and I’m asthmatic.” (May21, A)

• “@[username] @[username] @[username] @CDCgov @[username] The real number of

people that actually died of covid and not underlying conditions is significantly lower.”

(Jul21, A)

• “@[username] @[username] @CDCgov Survival rate ages 0-19 is 99.997%. Survival

rate for ages 20-64 is 99.8%. 94% of deaths involved an underlying health condition.”

(May21, A)

Others suggested that those that were not at high risk did not need to follow the CDC’s

guidelines.

• “@[username] @CDCgov @CDCMMWR What’s next? A fishbowl over your head. If

you’re healthy then say no to masks.” (Feb21, A)

• “@CDCgov I’m healthy so I don’t need to do any of those things.” (Jan21, A)

• “@CDCgov Aren’t the people who get sick immune compromised and elderly? When

people wear masks for no reason, they are breathing in their own CO2 waste. How is that

healthy? It is not in my opinion.” (May20, C)

Some people recognized that certain groups were at higher risk and showed a total disregard for

the health and safety of these populations.

• “@CDCgov @CDCMMWR @CDCgov.. will people ‘at risk’ now…. EVER be not at

risk? [emoji] [emoji] I can answer that for you. My brother has Muscular Dystrophy.

[emoji] [emoji] #COVID19 is never going away. [emoji] [emoji] My brother will

ALWAYS be at risk of dying from it. [emoji] [emoji] Sucks he’s ‘at risk’, but thats [sic]

the hand he was dealt.” (Feb21, A)

• “@[username] @[username] @CDCgov ur [sic] afraid of covid u [sic] should lose

weight den [sic]” (Jun21, A)

• “@[username] @CDCgov Been going well for me. Haven’t changed a thing. Had covid,

was sick for a day and over a year later my antibodies are still just as strong. Why don’t

all the fat unhealthy go quarantine?” (Mar21, A)

Still others suggested that because only those of certain groups were at high risk, the rest of the

population could or should move on.

• “@CDCgov @RepTedLieu

Deaths [sic] rates low 38 reported yesterday in CA with

almost 40,000,000. ARE WE DONE? It is now time for people with comorbidity [sic] to

take personal responsible [sic] and protect themselves. We have done what we can for the

last year at great sacrifices including other kinds deaths.” (Jul21, A)

• “@[username] @[username] @CDCgov Deaths under 18 as of today is 330, not 500.

Not that even 1,000 would statistically make a dent in the population of 331,000,000.

And everyone that is dying has on average 3.6 comorbidities. Beyond time to let

everyone do whatever they feel is best for them. No more mandates.” (Jul21, A)

Ted Lieu is the U.S. Representative of California’s 33

District.

Collectively, this section exemplifies an individualist, survival-of-the-fittest sort of approach to

Covid-19 that further supports the theme of minimization.

“The Cure Can’t Be Worse Than the Disease”

The last section of this subtheme explores the emphasis users placed on the importance of

returning to “normal.”

• “@[username] Do they ever stop this ninsense [sic] and let us enjoy normal life 🤔”"

(Jun21,"A)"

• “@CDCgov"@CDCMMWR"#letthemplay We need to get back to life. The cure can’t be

worse than the disease.” (Nov20, B)

• “@CDCgov That’s too extreme. We need to be able to get back to normal life in no more

than 1 month.” (Mar20, B)

Some users showed exasperation with the length of the pandemic.

• “CDCgov @CDCMMWR Blah blah blah… the never ending pandemic. God I’m so sick

of this crap!” (Jul21, B)

• “@CDCgov This pandemic is getting old really fast.” (Jul21, A)

Some even stated that it was time for the pandemic to be over.

• “@CDCgov Covid is over. GFY

” (Jul21, C)

• “@[username] @[username] @[username] @CDCgov I did what the CDC said and got

fully vaccinated in the hope of returning to normalcy. Are we all supposed to live behind

masks or in isolation indefinitely? At some point we will have to learn how to live with

COVID without shutting down society.” (Jul21, A)

GFY=Go Fuck Yourself. It is used to express anger or frustration.

• “@[username] @CDCgov Why not just move on already? The numbers are never going

to be zero for infections. Like the common cold or the annual flu, it is here to stay. Those

that are going to get vaccinated probably already have been. So get on with life.” (Jul21,

Altogether, this subtheme suggests that Twitter users are not only unsympathetic towards mass

death, but that mitigation efforts are not seen as valuable or necessary to much of the public.

Through the subthemes of denial, defiance, and indifference, I have explored the

narrative of the minimization of Covid-19 in Twitter discourse. I have demonstrated that Twitter

users display a profound level of apathy towards the health and safety of others, especially the

most vulnerable. I will now discuss how this is evidence of the individualization of health in the

United States, and some of the implications of this individualization.

Discussion

Because Covid-19 is an air-borne, communicable disease, our actions affect others’ risk

of catching it. What we do to mitigate our own risk of catching and spreading Covid-19 affects

the risk of others. If we do not wear a mask, we increase the risk of everyone we come into

contact with while not wearing a mask. In short, our health is a collective issue. However,

capitalism positions the health of the individual above the collective. When we individualize

health, we do not take the health of those around us into consideration. This leads to, for

example, people going to the gym without a mask, risking getting and spreading Covid-19 to

others, being seen as a healthy behavior because for the individual, exercising is a morally good

and healthy choice. The risk that it poses to others who then may come into contact with the

person who went to the gym without a mask is disregarded.

Health is more complicated than making individual choices. In fact, one’s zip code is a

much better predictor of one’s health outcomes than many other factors that we believe can be

controlled by choice, such as our diet (Morgan 2019). Health is significantly impacted by our

experiences of systemic oppression and trauma, our environment, our access to health care and

fresh food, and our genetics. No amount of “healthy choices” can change that. Our cultural

understanding of health as a summation of the choices we make erases that health is a systemic

issue, and that health is largely out of our control, especially for the proletariat under capitalism.

(Whereas, the bourgeoisie have more freedom to control their environment, have more access to

health care and food, are less traumatized by capitalism, etc.) However, the individualization of

health leads us to believe that people who have poor health are at fault for making the wrong

choices. This leads us to a “state of chronic acceptance that some have poorer health than

others” (Sandset 2021:1412). If we accept that some have poor health, then we are relieved of

our collective responsibility to ensure the health of our communities. Under capitalism,

individualist narratives suggest that we are responsible for our own health, but not those around

us. We have individualized health to the extreme.

In Calling the Shots (2016), Reich discusses how the parents that choose to not vaccinate

their children are “free-riding” off of the herd immunity that the vaccinated vast majority of

people create. Similarly, those who choose to not take Covid-19 precautions like wearing a

mask, getting vaccinated, or avoiding crowds are partially protected by those that are taking

precautions, yet they themselves are not contributing to the collective effort to stop the spread of

Covid-19. In fact, in all likelihood, they are making it worse by potentially catching and

spreading the virus. Furthermore, minimizing Covid-19 indicates a certain level of privilege. Just

as Reich observed in relation to vaccinations, those at most risk for Covid-19 are those with

access to the least amount of resources. For example, according to a study conducted by a

University of South Florida research team, working class Americans died at five times the rate of

those in higher socioeconomic classes in the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic (Ogozalek

2022). Those with the privilege to work from home, those with the privilege of having their own

space to quarantine, those with the best access to healthcare, yet choose to not take Covid-19

precautions, are ultimately risking the lives of others who may not have the same access to

resources.

The individualization of health rests partially on what Sandset refers to as “a state of

chronic acceptance that some have poorer health than others” (2021:1412). If health is purely the

responsibility of the individual, then others’ health is not our concern. Those in poor health are

not our responsibility. Sandset argues that this state of chronic acceptance leads to “conditions of

slow death and necropolitical outcomes” (2021:1411).

Drawing on Foucault’s notion of biopolitics, Achille Mbembe’s essay, Necropolitics,

begins by stating that, “the ultimate expression of sovereignty resides, to a large degree, in the

power and the capacity to dictate who may live and who must die” (2003:11, emphasis added).

Mbembe calls this necropower, which he argues is now a more accurate conception of state

power than biopower. As Valencia describes, “In the contemporary era, death emerges as the

nucleus of biopolitics, which transforms it into necropolitics” (2018:132). Mbembe goes on to

define what he terms, “death worlds,” which are, “new and unique forms of social existence in

which vast populations are subjected to conditions of life conferring upon them the status of

living dead” (2003:40). This theory has been applied largely to more “obvious” forms of

violence: the Nazi state, apartheid South Africa, etc. However, as Sandset argues, necropolitics is

also useful in conceptualizing the realities of the global Covid-19 pandemic. To better couch his

argument, Sandset brings into the conversation Nixon’s (2011) concept of “slow violence,”

which Nixon defines as, “a violence that occurs gradually and out of sight, a violence of delayed

destruction that is dispersed across time and space, an attritional violence that is typically not

viewed as violence at all” (2011:2). On slow violence, Sandset explains, “slow violence focuses

much more on the gradual, the less visible and dispersed forms of violence” (2021:1414). This

concept is useful in thinking about the minimization narrative. My argument is that the

minimization narrative, and the individualization of health more broadly, leads to conditions of

slow violence and, ultimately, necropolitical outcomes.

While necropower typically refers to the state’s ability to determine “who may live and

who must die,” power is discursive. Outlining the contributions of Foucault, Crawley and Broad

state, “power is the deployment of discourse” (2007:547, emphasis removed). And further, as

Foucault explains in Power/Knowledge,

Power must be analysed as something which circulates…It is never localised here or

there…Power is employed and exercised through a net-like organization. And not only

do individuals circulate between its threads; they are always in the position of

simultaneously undergoing and exercising power” (1980:98).

The public discourse that exhibits the minimization of Covid-19 is deploying a necropolitical

discourse that contributes to the conditions of slow violence and death worlds. Foucault states,

“it is in discourse that power and knowledge are joined together” (1978:100). It is through the

minimization discourse that the “chronic acceptance that some have poorer health than others”

becomes common sense knowledge, and therefore through discourse that necropolitical power is

deployed. Through the power of discourse, the elderly, the disabled, the proletariat, the multiply

marginalized are subjected to conditions that confer upon them the status of living dead. They

are not only told that their lives, their health, their safety don’t matter, but they are shown that

this is true. They are existing in a death world.

Paradoxically, in this instance, individuals may feel they are taking power by responding

to the CDC with individualist discourse, a kind of necropolitical power that Mbembe relegates to

the state, not individuals. Because the minimization narrative is being deployed by individuals

here, these individuals may be contributing to a discourse that creates necropolitical outcomes

for themselves (i.e., they may in fact be members of the groups most affected by the slow

violence of the individualization of health: the elderly, the disabled, the proletariat, etc.). In order

to understand how this could be, it is useful to incorporate Gramsci’s theory of hegemony, which

I will detail below.

In the Communist Manifesto Marx wrote, “The ruling ideas of each age have ever been

the ideas of its ruling class” (1969:25). Similarly, the Italian political leader and theorist, Antonio

Gramsci, wrote, “The foundation of a directive class (i.e., of a state) is equivalent to the creation

of a Weltanschauung,” a worldview (1999:711). In Gramsci’s theory of hegemony, Bates

outlines, “The basic premise of the theory of hegemony is one with which few would disagree:

that man is not ruled by force alone, but also by ideas” (1975:351). In Marxist thought, society

consists of a base (the modes of production) and the superstructure (politics, laws, religion,

education, ideology, etc.). The superstructure is dependent on the base, and the base is influenced

by the superstructure. Gramsci built upon Marx’s conception of the base and superstructure. He

divided the superstructure into two parts: political society (the police, the military, the

government, etc.) and civil society (religion, education, the media, etc.). Bates explains that civil

society is “the marketplace of ideas” (1975:353). It is here where, more specifically, Gramsci’s

theory of hegemony, “involves subdoing and co-opting dissenting voices through subtle

dissemination of the dominant group’s perspective as universal and natural, to the point where

the dominant beliefs and practices become an intractable component of common sense”

(Litowitz 2000:515). Essentially, the proletariat would likely not accept their exploitation under

capitalism if it were not for civil society, if it were not for hegemony. The bourgeoisie’s ideas

and values become common sense through hegemony, and the conditions of capitalism become

therefore accepted as simply the way things are. The people’s ideas, then, are largely a reflection

of the ruling class’s ideas, and can never be fully separated from them, as they are influenced by

civil society. Thus, it is through the incorporation of capitalism into the proletariat’s common

sense that the individualization of health becomes normalized and therefore, leads to the

minimization of Covid-19. Capitalism generates death worlds and then, through hegemonic

discourses of individualism, the proletariat contribute to the construction of the death world that

they find themselves in.

CONCLUSION

On February 26, 2020, President Trump stated that there were currently 15 cases of

Covid-19 and that “the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down close to zero” (Wolfe and

Dale 2020). While many were skeptical of this statement, few predicted that two years later the

pandemic would still upend our lives so significantly. Not only have over a million died in the

United States alone, but more variants continue to emerge which will ultimately lead to more

deaths. Throughout this massive health, social, and economic crisis has been an expectation that

we proceed with life as normal. For over two years, the CDC has taken many significant steps to

attempt to curtail the spread of the virus, yet my data demonstrate that there was much public

resistance to those measures. Further, while temporary governmental measures like cancelling

large events, requiring masks, and moving schools to virtual mitigated some spread, most of

these measures have now been eliminated. With the public health phase of the pandemic

seemingly concluded, Americans are (as of this writing) on their own when it comes to

preventing the spread of Covid-19. This leaves the most vulnerable, especially the

immunocompromised, in a dangerous predicament.

In the conclusion to Calling the Shots, Reich asks “What do we owe each other?” While

this is an important question to consider, I would like to take it a step further and ask, “Under

what circumstances might we find that our collective health is worth contributing to and caring

about?” Narratives of individualism that are rampant within U.S. capitalism alienate us from

each other. These narratives lead to the prioritization of the health of the individual over the

collective health of our communities. Regardless of state responses in the U.S., American

individualism and our valuing of the “freedom” to make “choices” above all else—based in

capitalism—is at least partially to blame for the continued spread of Covid-19.

In this thesis, I have reviewed 1) how narratives are meaningful, 2) how narratives within

science are important to study and understand, 3) how, under capitalism, discourses of health

focus on individualism and 4) how, therefore, narratives about the pursuit of health are

articulated as the pursuit of the individual’s, not the public’s, health. I then demonstrated that

there is a circulating narrative in public discourse on Twitter that minimizes the severity of the

Covid-19 pandemic. I argued that this narrative is evidence of the individualization of health

under capitalism in the United States, and finally, I discussed how necropolitical power is

deployed through this minimization discourse, creating the conditions of slow violence and death

worlds for the most vulnerable.

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APPENDIX A:

THE CDC’S TWEETS ABOUT COVID-19

Month, Year

Letter

Jan., 2020

What are the symptoms of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (#2019nCoV)?

How does the virus spread? Learn the answers to frequently asked

questions here: https://t.co/0ElbjEVlYh. #FAQ

https://t.co/dAdUno2jx0

The CDC, under statutory authority of the Health and Human

Services (HHS) Secretary, has issued federal quarantine orders to all

195 United States citizens who repatriated to the U.S. on January 29,

2020. The quarantine will last 14 days from when the plane left

Wuhan, China.

The first human infection with new #coronavirus (#2019-nCoV) has

been reported in the US in a person who recently traveled to Wuhan,

China. Additional cases in travelers have been reported in Thailand,

Japan, and The Republic of Korea. https://t.co/bbH7gGPuyh

https://t.co/cGvFc4DYDZ

Feb., 2020

There is currently no reported community spread of #COVID19 in

the US. People should follow everyday measures to prevent the

spread of respiratory viruses, such as staying home when sick and

washing hands with soap and water. Stay informed; visit

https://t.co/1ifchVyxUM.

What are five things you need to know about novel (new)

#coronavirus? Watch as @DrNancyM_CDC answers important

questions in this video. Stay updated with the latest information on

#COVID19 at https://t.co/inSgagrDeE. https://t.co/Wp2XJ9Vwmz

CDC does not currently recommend the use of facemasks to help

prevent novel #coronavirus. Take everyday preventive actions, like

staying home when you are sick and washing hands with soap and

water, to help slow the spread of respiratory illness. #COVID19

https://t.co/uArGZTJhXj https://t.co/yzWTSgt2IV

Mar., 2020

As of March 9, 78 state and local public health labs across 50 states

now have the capacity to test up to 75,000 people for #COVID19.

State/local public health staff determine which specimens should be

tested. See updated interim testing guidance:

https://t.co/tLIlhG9oGS.

New: Starting immediately and for the next 8 weeks, CDC

recommends cancelling all events of 50 or more people. Full

recommendation here: https://t.co/LrjUt4rl7B #COVID19

https://t.co/OroIqhTYJo

Practice social distancing by putting space between yourself and

others. Continue to practice healthy habits, like washing your hands

for at least 20 seconds and staying home if you’re sick, to help slow

the spread of #COVID19.

Learn more: https://t.co/RhqzGyUzcH https://t.co/CDFHhxzsj8

Apr., 2020

#DYK? CDC’s recommendation on wearing a cloth face covering

may help protect the most vulnerable from #COVID19. Watch

@Surgeon_General Jerome Adams make a face covering in a few

easy steps. https://t.co/bihJ3xEM15 https://t.co/mE7Tf6y3MK

States, tribal, local, & territorial officials: Resources are

available to help quickly identify new #COVID19 cases, break

chains of transmission, and protect first responders and healthcare

workers from infection. https://t.co/9GuA4VA7sy

https://t.co/0JOUfi9908

As of April 1, 46 US states and 1 US territory report some

community spread of #coronavirus (COVID-19). Of those, 25 states

report #COVID19 cases are “widespread.” Stay at home and practice

social distancing. For info on your state, see

https://t.co/MCP09UDSPe. https://t.co/zayPIoEjS1

May, 2020

If you must travel, take these steps to protect yourself & others

from #COVID19 during your trip. https://t.co/6cRDaMnVUV

https://t.co/LgSftMJuHv

Updated on May 6: Reported U.S. cases of #COVID19 total close to

1.2 million, with 21 states reporting more than 10,000 COVID-19

cases. County-level data and number of new cases by day are now

available. Visit https://t.co/wiuFBKR3Uh https://t.co/5MozKHPF38

When you wear a cloth face covering, you help protect those around

you from #COVID19. Help keep each other safe by continuing to

properly wear cloth face coverings every time, the entire time you’re

in public. Learn more: https://t.co/lxWMe4NUBD.

https://t.co/hrWqoPfW4V

Jun., 2020

As of June 23: More than 2.3 million #COVID19 cases have been

reported in the U.S., with 40 states and jurisdictions reporting more

than 10,000 cases. See how many cases have been reported in your

state or county here: https://t.co/wiuFBKR3Uh

https://t.co/UbfeLUso6m

As of June 9: Almost 2 million #COVID19 cases have been reported

in the U.S., with 37 states and jurisdictions reporting more than

10,000 cases. Continue to slow the spread by wearing a cloth face

covering and washing your hands often. https://t.co/wiuFBKR3Uh

https://t.co/aejD1WDyGL

#Employers: Antibody tests for #COVID19 should not be used to

determine if someone can return to work. There is not enough

information yet to say whether someone will be immune and

protected from reinfection if they have antibodies to the virus. More:

https://t.co/WECEU7TLdf https://t.co/UOAaUyyWqr

Jul., 2020

As of July 7: Almost 3 million #COVID19 cases have been reported

in the United States. The number of cases continue to increase with

larger increases in the Southeast, Southwest, and West Coast. See

how many cases have been reported in your state:

https://t.co/wiuFBKR3Uh https://t.co/BwpEB4HWPJ

As of July 14: In the last 7 days, #COVID19 cases increased

nationally with 3 states each reporting more than 50,000 new cases.

Help slow the spread by taking steps like wearing cloth face

coverings. See more COVID-19 data here: https://t.co/4Ku7nKLZCq

https://t.co/x4fmtcabcc

As of July 21: In the last 7 days, #COVID19 cases increased in the

US. Ten states reported more than 10,000 new cases w/ 3 states each

reporting more than 60,000 new cases. Wear face coverings. Stay 6

feet away from others & wash your hands. See more data:

https://t.co/4Ku7nKLZCq https://t.co/0QDOewhbbw

Aug., 2020

Although the number of #COVID19 cases in most states continued

to decline over the last 7 days, COVID-19 is widespread in many

areas, especially the South & West. As of Aug. 25, the US

reported nearly 1,000 deaths a day over the last week. See more data:

https://t.co/441ntP6EUZ. https://t.co/HvW3SFqa11

Although the number of #COVID19 cases in most states continued

to decline over the last 7 days, the rate of decline is slowing.

COVID-19 is widespread in many areas & 6 states reported

over 10k new cases. Wear a mask, stay 6 ft from others & wash

your hands. https://t.co/QIbgGgcZ2X

Masks can help prevent the spread of #COVID19 when they are

widely used in public. When you wear a mask, you can help protect

those around you. When others wear one, they can help protect

people around them, incl. you. https://t.co/jkWwZTfWSS

#WearAMask #DoYourPart #WorldMaskWeek

https://t.co/O7FckRf1ks

Sep., 2020

#COVID19 cases declined in most states in the last 7 days, but

COVID-19 is widespread in many areas, particularly in the upper

Great Plains, Midwest, and South. Six states reported over 10,000

new cases in the last week. See more data: https://t.co/CEcelDa6Hb.

https://t.co/564xEJy0BO

Although #COVID19 cases in many states declined over the last 7

days, daily cases are now increasing in some states, particularly in

the upper Great Plains, Midwest, and South. Wear a mask. Stay 6 ft

from others. Wash your hands. See more data:

https://t.co/4Ku7nKLZCq https://t.co/3mVOhU0nqA

#COVID19 cases have increased in recent weeks. 22 states and

territories reported that cases are trending upward. Take steps to slow

the spread. Wear a mask, stay 6 feet from others & wash your

hands. Learn more. https://t.co/CEcelDa6Hb

https://t.co/YqkbBZLuxx

Oct., 2020

A new @CDCMMWR estimates since January 2020, 299,000 more

people have died than the typical number during the same weeks in

previous years. At least 2 out of 3 excess deaths were attributed to

#COVID19. Learn more: https://t.co/fg4W6u4e3C.

https://t.co/i9TDxrBrTV

In the past week, there were over 300,000 new #COVID19 cases

reported, with 7 states reporting more than 10,000 new cases each.

Help slow the spread. Wear a mask. Stay 6 feet apart. Wash your

hands. See more data: https://t.co/1nMYQAjpSq.

https://t.co/g0gdtTnUeq

As of October 25, #COVID19 cases continue to increase nationwide.

Average daily cases in the previous 7-days increased 26% from the

previous 7 days. Help slow the spread: Wear a mask, wash your

hands, and stay 6 feet apart. Learn more: https://t.co/1nMYQAjpSq

https://t.co/N3pkiBlCkj

Nov., 2020

JUST WEAR THE MASK. Cover your mouth AND nose. Stay 6

feet from others. Wash your hands. Stay home if you can.

#COVID19 cases are rising fast. If we don’t act together and do what

we can to slow the spread, thousands more could die.

Get the facts: https://t.co/DmfPOAPMjW. https://t.co/i6ggvfcnBD

New @CDCMMWR suggests that the #COVID19 pandemic may be

negatively impacting children’s mental health. The proportion of

emergency room visits for mental health concerns in children &

adolescents increased substantially this past Mar.-Oct. Read the

report: https://t.co/9FyLoCzrza https://t.co/fIXMIZg7KK

#COVID19 cases are rising rapidly in many parts of the U.S. This

pandemic is not over. But if we all do our part, it can be. Here’s what

you can do:

#WearAMask over your mouth AND nose.

Stay 6⃣ft from others.

👐 Wash your hands.

🏠 Stay home if you can.

https://t.co/DmfPOAPMjW https://t.co/kEhhQtXlOl

Dec., 2020

Until every person in the U.S. can get a COVID-19 vaccine, continue

to wear a mask, keep at least 6 feet between yourself and others,

avoid crowds, and wash your hands often. Learn more about who

should get vaccinated first while supplies are limited:

https://t.co/ifJLlRKU2c.

Pregnant? You may discuss #COVID19 vaccines with your doctor,

but it’s not required before vaccination. While studies have not yet

been done, experts believe mRNA vaccines like COVID-19 vaccines

are unlikely to pose a risk for #pregnant people. More:

https://t.co/pBVlI6STf8. https://t.co/N2o76U4L4T

Masking is a two-way street. Masks help protect you, in case

someone around you has #COVID19. Masks also help protect others,

in case you have COVID-19 but don’t know it. #WearAMask to

#SlowTheSpread. Learn more: https://t.co/jkWwZTxyhs.

https://t.co/51g0zgT3Pk

Jan., 2021

As more #COVID19 vaccine becomes available, more groups of

people will be able to get vaccinated. Even after getting vaccinated,

continue to #WearAMask over your nose and mouth, stay 6 feet

from others, avoid crowds, and wash your hands. More:

https://t.co/AKnOrVkuRI. #SleeveUp https://t.co/GcSvRyYdbw

If you’ve had #COVID19, you may have some natural protection, or

immunity, from the virus, but we don’t know how long that lasts.

Getting a COVID-19 vaccine can help you build immunity without

risking getting sick, severe illness, even death. More:

https://t.co/KL3fJrcjsG. https://t.co/ccTl8UctrJ

CDC has issued an order requiring everyone to wear a mask while

traveling on public transportation into or within the US (including

airplanes, ships, ferries, trains, subways, buses, taxis, ride-shares).

Wearing a mask reduces the spread of #COVID19. More:

https://t.co/bpOhIx8xbS https://t.co/AbBtmEejWV

Feb., 2021

In lab tests with dummies, exposure to potentially infectious aerosols

decreased by about 95% when they both wore tightly fitted masks, a

new @CDCMMWR finds. #WearAMask that fits tightly to your face

to stop the spread of #COVID19. More: https://t.co/gi3OLBCnWi.

https://t.co/Jt55LUECER

#NEW: Wearing two masks can improve fit & give you better

protection from #COVID19. Wear a disposable mask under a cloth

mask. Learn more: https://t.co/rjQXPVTs5O.

https://t.co/VXIZQwUvGN

A new @CDCMMWR shows that statewide mask mandates may

contribute to declines in #COVID19 hospitalization growth rates

among people aged 18-64. By wearing a mask consistently and

correctly, we can protect ourselves and each other. Learn more:

https://t.co/0ahTv5hmIy. https://t.co/T9mIxEZR2L

Mar., 2021

#VaxFact: You should still get a #COVID19 vaccine even if you’ve

already had COVID-19.

Experts don’t know how long you’re protected from COVID-19 after

you recover.

More vaccine facts: https://t.co/c3T9VAF5Ce.

https://t.co/xFGU6l1CuV

Celebrate #Easter this year with people you live with, virtually, or

outside while staying 6 feet apart. Enjoy Easter dinner & egg

hunts with the people you live with to protect yourself & others

from #COVID19. More: https://t.co/PamSx6NqyB.

When you’re fully vaccinated for #COVID19, you can start doing

some things again, like gathering indoors w/ other fully vaccinated

people. Still protect yourself & others in public places - wear a

mask, stay at least 6ft apart, & avoid crowds. More:

https://t.co/FJMon7WlFO. https://t.co/oXu2Ref3Fn

Apr., 2021

People fully vaccinated against #COVID19 can travel within the

United States and do not need COVID-19 testing or post-travel self-

quarantine as long as they continue to take precautions while

traveling: #WearAMask, avoid crowds, and wash hands frequently.

https://t.co/9uzBuFZyWE https://t.co/C7V8Ip0jJv

If you are fully vaccinated against #COVID19, you can start doing

many things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic. If

you haven’t been vaccinated yet, get a vaccine as soon as you can.

See full details: https://t.co/s5kXwg65fB https://t.co/fvhehUiiCi

Getting a COVID-19 vaccine is an important tool to help stop the

pandemic. More on how viral vector #COVID19 vaccines work:

https://t.co/DhQ1VfmTNR. https://t.co/P4JdeRJVct

May, 2021

UPDATE: If you are fully vaccinated against #COVID19, you can

resume activities without wearing a mask or staying 6 feet apart,

except where required by federal, state, local, tribal or territorial

laws, incl. local business and workplace guidance. More:

https://t.co/FJMon7WlFO

More than 60% of American adults have received their first

#COVID19 vaccine. Do your part to help defeat this virus so we can

get back to spending time with the ones we love. #WeCanDoThis

🔍 Search https://t.co/2akIUZiFIL

💬 Text your ZIP code to 438829

📞 Call 1-800-232-0233 https://t.co/yHsuPCShEX

If you are not fully vaccinated for #COVID19, celebrate with people

who live with you, have a virtual meal with family, or host an

outdoor event with everyone at least 6 feet apart & wearing

masks. More: https://t.co/PamSx6NqyB. https://t.co/SzdBbAXpye

Jun., 2021

If you’ve already had #COVID19 and recovered, you should still get

vaccinated against COVID-19.

True! Experts do not yet know how long you are protected from

getting sick again after recovering from #COVID19. Get your

COVID-19 vaccine as soon as you can. Learn more:

https://t.co/mUsXpasZ4S. https://t.co/PhOAoShie5

Father’s Day is a special time for many families. People who are

fully vaccinated against #COVID19 can celebrate the day inside or

outside without wearing masks and staying 6 feet apart. Learn more:

https://t.co/FC2Js66xnt. https://t.co/DaJFjDs2jn

Jul., 2021

#DeltaVariant surging in U.S. New data show Delta much more

contagious than previous versions of #COVID19. Unvaccinated

people: get vaccinated & mask until you do. Everyone in areas

of substantial/high transmission should wear a mask, even if

vaccinated.

https://t.co/tt49zOEC8N

New @CDCMMWR finds Delta variant causes vaccine

breakthrough infections. Jurisdictions might consider expanded

prevention strategies, including masking in indoor public areas,

particularly for large public gatherings that include travelers from

many areas. https://t.co/Q8d9kmQ4Mj https://t.co/aTR6bKTwER

#Parents: Keep children from getting or spreading #COVID19 at

child care. Keep them home if sick. If they are 2 & older &

not vaccinated against COVID-19, they should wear a fitted mask

over their mouth & nose while indoors & in crowded

outdoor spaces. https://t.co/xyXc959VbQ. https://t.co/aucd0iiHcO

Aug., 2021

The #DeltaVariant is more dangerous than other variants of the virus

that causes #COVID19.

Get vaccinated as soon as you can. If you’re in an area of substantial

or high transmission, wear a mask indoors in public, even if you’re

fully vaccinated.

More: https://t.co/vwRERgaGg9.

CDC has accepted ACIP’s recommendation that people who are

moderately to severely immunocompromised get an additional dose

of mRNA #COVID19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna).

If you’re immunocompromised, talk to your doctor/healthcare

provider.

More: https://t.co/Iq5JmSoATe.

COMIRNATY/Pfizer-BioNTech #COVID19 vaccine received full

@US_FDA approval. It’s safe and effective at helping prevent

severe illness, hospitalization & death from COVID-19,

including the #DeltaVariant. If you’ve been waiting to get

vaccinated, do it today: https://t.co/2akIUZ14Rd

https://t.co/nsBxAGP3nG