#NousSavons : en mission pour dire la vérité

Abstract

Background: In July 2021, in France, the hashtag “#NousSavons” (“#WeKnow”) emerged, aimed at rallying COVID skeptics on Twitter. Creating a genuine online community, this hashtag mobilized its members by having them question dominant forms of knowledge. This article examines the architecture of the discourses developed by the members of the #NousSavons community. Analysis: The analysis considers two of this community’s initiatives that supported a conspiracy-based perception of COVID-19: establishing the legitimacy of their perception of the crisis and publicizing this perception. Conclusions and implications: This article shows the diversity of evidence put forward by the community as well as the latter’s singular positioning with regard to the truth. It also analyzes the refinement of the communication practices that were implemented in order to convince members of the public sphere of the legitimacy of their viewpoint.