ENUNCIATIVE AND IDEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF PROMPT ENGINEERING IN CHATGPT: a study on the discursive construction of misogyny among young Incels

Authors

  • Kendra Silveira State University of Southwestern Bahia (UESB)
  • Márcia Helena de Melo Pereira State University of Southwestern Bahia (UESB)

Keywords:

Prompt engineering, ChatGPT, Misogyny, Incel speech, Enunciation, Bakhtin circle

Abstract

This article investigates the enunciative and ideological implications of prompt engineering in ChatGPT, with a particular focus on interactions involving conservatism among young incels and the misogynistic discourse prevalent within this group. The study is theoretically grounded in the Bakhtin Circle, drawing on concepts such as dialogism, the responsive nature of enunciation, and the interplay between language and ideology, as articulated by Bakhtin (2010; 2011) and Volóchinov (2021). Methodologically, we conducted a series of interactions with ChatGPT based on prompts crafted according to specific structural parameters. These prompts featured distinct incel personas, allowing us to analyze the model’s responses in terms of their discursive and axiological positioning. Our findings reveal that the utterances generated by the model reflect complex ideological negotiations, shifting between empathetic tones and misogynistic affirmations, depending on the configuration of the prompts. We conclude that prompt engineering functions as a discursive mediation device that shapes the AI’s ideological stance, highlighting ethical and discursive vulnerabilities that are highly relevant to current debates in language and technology studies.

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Author Biographies

Kendra Silveira, State University of Southwestern Bahia (UESB)

Master’s student in Linguistics at the Graduate Program in Linguistics (PPGLin) at the State University of Southwest Bahia (UESB), Brazil. Holds a Bachelor’s degree in Modern Languages (Portuguese, English, and their respective literatures) from the same university. Participated in undergraduate research as a volunteer (2019–2020) and as a scholarship recipient (2020–2023), under the supervision of Professor Dr. Márcia Helena de Melo Pereira. Her research focused on Textual Linguistics, especially the role of discourse genres, textuality, and hypertextuality, with an emphasis on TikTok comments from a Bakhtinian perspective and the dialogic relations in this digital environment. Currently, she investigates polyphony in texts produced by ChatGPT 4.0, deepening her studies on dialogism and language. She also holds technical degrees in Nutrition and Dietetics from the Adélia Teixeira State Center for Professional Education in Health (CEEPS), and in Theatre from the Luís Eduardo Magalhães Model High School (CMLEM).

Márcia Helena de Melo Pereira, State University of Southwestern Bahia (UESB)

Márcia Helena de Melo Pereira holds a Ph.D. and a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP). She is currently a Full Professor at the State University of Southwest Bahia (UESB), at the Vitória da Conquista campus, where she teaches in the undergraduate programs in Modern and Vernacular Languages, as well as in the permanent faculty of the Graduate Program in Linguistics (PPGLin/UESB). She is a researcher affiliated with several research groups: the Language Studies Research Group (GPEL/UESB), the group O Círculo de Bakhtin em diálogo (UEPB), and the Bakhtinian Studies Group (GEB/Unesp Assis). She is also a member of the Text Linguistics and Conversation Analysis Working Group (GT) of ANPOLL (National Association of Graduate Studies and Research in Letters and Linguistics).

Her theoretical work focuses on text construction processes, textual genesis, the relationship between individual and genre style, digital genres, genetic criticism, authorship, and text teaching. Her research interests lie in the fields of Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, particularly in Text Linguistics, with special attention to discourse genres (including digital ones), authorship, style, and teaching-learning processes. She also coordinates the evaluation board of the Lápis na Mão Project, an initiative of TV Sudoeste, a Globo Network affiliate in Bahia, Brazil.

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Published

2025-06-02

How to Cite

Silveira, K. S., & Pereira, M. H. de M. . (2025). ENUNCIATIVE AND IDEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF PROMPT ENGINEERING IN CHATGPT: a study on the discursive construction of misogyny among young Incels. Open Minds International Journal, 6(1), 191–208. Retrieved from https://openmindsjournal.com/openminds/article/view/350

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2025): Dossiê Temático: Diálogos contemporâneos: educação, língua(gem), cultura e sociedade

Section

Thematic Dossier: Contemporary dialogues: education, language, culture and socie

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