A Discourse Analysis on the Social Media Persona Senyora Santibañez

Haciendera o Alipin?: A Discourse Analysis on the Social Media Persona Senyora Santibañez

Senyora Santibañez, the antagonist of the hit Mexican telenovela, MariMar, is not just famous for her sarcasms and insults in the drama itself but also online. The social media persona, Senyora Santibañez, retained the qualities of the original Angelica Santibañez but situated itself in the Philippine context and in the social media landscape.

This study seeks to examine how power manifests in Senyora’s posts on its Facebook account. Using Foucauldian Discourse Analysis as the main theoretical framework, this research answered the question, “How does the social media persona Senyora Santibañez reinforce and challenge power through discourse?”

In this study, the media texts and language used by Senyora were put into context and analyzed to gather evidence about relations of power or ideologies. Also using Mikhail Bakhtin’s double-voiced discourse, this research explored on the duality of power that Senyora possesses and how this discursive struggle manifests in her posts. This study examined if Senyora Santibañez is empowering or oppressive from a discursive point of view.

In the analysis of data, the posts were categorized under two sections namely, a) Senyora Santibañez as a Tool for Oppression and b) Senyora Santibañez as a Voice for Empowerment. Senyora’s posts which contain oppressive messages were put in the first section. It included texts showing insults and criticisms to those who, according to Senyora’s standards, are inferior in intellect, beauty, and social class.

The second section on the other hand, included posts which contain messages of empowerment. Texts showing how Senyora Santibañez put forward and initiated relevant discussions on social and political issues were presented.

In conclusion, Senyora possesses a duality of the power. She is both a tool for oppression and a voice for empowerment. However, because of the antagonistic origin of Senyora Santibañez, the social media persona retained the image and branding of the original antagonist which is dominantly oppressive.

KEYWORDS: Senyora Santibañez, Discourse Analysis, Double-voiced discourse, Power

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