The aim of this thesis is to address and problematize how an undemocratic event like the Capitol riot on January 6th, 2021 could occur in the United States, the nation that for so long has been perceived to be the world’s leading democracy. The thesis takes a point of departure in French philosopher Jaques Derrida’s theory of autoimmunity, which is a theory aiming to explain how democracies are at constant risk of developing autoimmune reactions within their institutions, causing them to undermine their own values and principles. Three theoretical areas were derived from the theory: Hospitality, Ipseity, and Democracy to come, and through an interpretive content analysis of the nine public committee hearings taking place after the riot, these areas could detect symptoms of democratic autoimmunity in the event. The findings of the research thus shed light on the autoimmune tendencies that exist within the very core of democracy, and that was brought to the forefront on January 6th, 2021. Further, the results point to the fact that because of these autoimmune tendencies, the democratic institutions in the United States are still - after this event - exposed to simultaneous threats and opportunities that can come to change the course of democracy in the nation.

New media technologies, especially social media, continue to challenge previous notions regarding agenda melding activities. Recent observations have been made during chaotic and turbulent conditions, where participants behave contradictory to what is expected by previous agenda setting and melding theories. This study attempts to examine the content shared amongst ordinary users on Twitter directly following a sudden crisis event, specifically the US Capitol riot from January 6th, 2021. This was done through a quantitative content analysis, where the agenda melding activities as well as rhetorical purpose were examined in order to observe ordinary users’ behaviours during the crisis event. Along with an open discussion regarding what this might entail for US democratic functions or relations, and a general invitation for future research regarding similar issues.    The results of this study showed further support for contradictory agenda melding activities in relation to a crisis event. Where instead of seeking out safety and agreement in the majority, users engaged in arguments, discussions and challenged each other’s views and opinions publicly online.   In examining the content following the Capitol riot, this study hopes to shed light on a subject of study that needs further exploring, as well as arguments for future development of previous theories.