How social media fuels political polarization
with Isabella Gonçalves
Crises have deepened political divisions, and social media has amplified these tensions. Our speaker Isabella Gonçalves (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany) examined Facebook posts from recent elections in Brazil, Colombia, Chile, and Peru and shares a concerning trend in this episode: divisive topics ignite strong, often negative reactions, particularly in countries with high levels of political polarization.
Episode based on the article
Divisive Issues, Polarization, and Users’ Reactions on Facebook: Comparing Campaigning in Latin America
By Vicente Fenoll, Isabella Gonçalves, and Márton Bene
Podcast Version
About the Speaker
Isabella Gonçalves is a research associate and a PhD student at the Johannes Gutenberg
University Mainz (JGU). She was previously awarded a DAAD scholarship for conducting
her PhD studies. She is a member of the research networks DigiWorld and the Digital Media
and Society Observatory. Her research interests include digital political communication and
journalism research.