Narratives and meanings in dispute:

the imaginaries of Covid-19 vaccines in digital networks

Abstract

This article investigates the discursive patterns and imaginaries surrounding Covid-19 vaccines through the analysis of conversations on the platform X (formerly Twitter) during the year 2020. The research combines two complementary methodological approaches: Social Network Analysis, guided by a perspectivist approach, and Discursive Imaginary Analysis, aimed at identifying symbolic structures within narratives. A qualitative analysis of 575 posts collected at three key moments of the pandemic revealed 43 recurring narrative patterns. The results indicate that vaccination discourses go beyond the dichotomy of truth and falsehood, operating through narratives that mobilize affects, archetypes, and symbols. The vaccine was symbolized as salvation, threat, desire, and renewal, among others, oscillating between the diurnal and nocturnal regimes of the imaginary, as proposed by Gilbert Durand. It is concluded that networked discourses constitute symbolic ecosystems where collective meanings are contested, influencing social perceptions of the body, science, and authority in times of crisis.