Exploring Political Polarization, Shaming and Ideology through Tweeting: A Critical Perspective

Abstract

The present study is an attempt to identify and address political polarization and shaming in the language of the political discourse of Pakistan on social media. It is an endeavour to examine the hidden patterns in the linguistic choices of politicians for the production, maintenance, and prorogation of their institutional identities. The methodological framework of the study is Norman Fairclough’s (1995) three-dimensional model of critical discourse analysis which is employed to analyze polarization and shaming in the language of social media by focusing on the General Assembly Elections of Gilgit-Baltistan held on November 15, 2020. The data has been taken from the Twitter accounts of three parties and their representatives including Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaf, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz Sharif), and Pakistan People's Party. The research data is related to political discourse as it consists of linguistic elements regarding the production, development, dissemination, and maintenance of power, ideology and institutional value. The findings of this study unfold that discourse is an integral component of every individual, group, institute, and nation that produces, promotes and maintains the ideological identity through legitimizing their actions and executing their power. Furthermore, tweets are constructed, formulated, propagated, maintained, and legitimized through ideologically guided power structures and discursive patterns.