Out of Conviction or Convenience? Polarization in Argentina’s 2023 Election Campaign on Social Network X

Abstract

Polarization has historically been high in Argentina. It decreased during the 1980s and 1990s amid the democratic transitions, but began to increase again at the beginning of the 21st century. This article analyzes how polarization was expressed and what levels it reached in Argentine political communication on the digital platform X during the 2023 presidential election campaign. Polarization, in communicational terms, is defined as the proliferation of discursive expressions marked by political antagonism. On social media, the structural conditions of these platforms enhance polarization, and a central part of the polarizing discursive strategy is based on emotional mobilization. The methodological strategy consists of downloading and cleaning data from the social network X, applying the polarization measures developed by the 3Ps Network and other content analysis strategies, and relating the results to similar studies in other Latin American countries.