This paper analyzes how anti-institutionalist rhetoric in a “Climate change debate” podcast normalizes climate-delay discourse and fuels distrust in science, media and government. It shows how the metaphors “the center” and “the flock” recast consensus as conformity, frame incrementalism as moderation and elevate delay as thoughtful inquiry.
This study uses qualitative rhetorical analysis of a podcast episode, combining Lamb et al.’s “discourses of delay” typology with critical metaphor analysis. It examines how the “center” and “flock” framings, together with Fridman’s non-adversarial interviewing style, allow delay discourses and anti-institutional narratives to circulate with little challenge.
The episode legitimizes anti-institutional narratives by depicting scientific, media and governmental consensus as biased “flocks” and casting the guests as independent truth-seekers. The “center” metaphor presents incrementalism as pragmatism, while the “flock” metaphor portrays institutions as untrustworthy.
While not generalizable, the findings clarify how influencer media blend anti-institutional framing and climate delay, offering a template for further work on digital media literacy and climate communication.
Media and literacy educators can use this analysis to help students identify delay discourses, metaphors that distort expertise and examples that distinguish evidence-based communication from performative debate.
Eroding institutional trust, amplified by secular-guru media, weakens public understanding of climate science and support for collective action. Strengthening critical literacy around metaphors, delay discourses and anti-institutional narratives is vital for effective climate action.
This paper develops “anti-institutionalism as climate delay” by showing how an influencer podcast can normalize delay discourses while discrediting the epistemic authority of institutions. It connects rhetorical analysis of digital influencer media, perspectives about the epistemic role of institutions, and climate communication research on delay.
