Polarization in Discourse: Development of a Theoretical/Methodological Approach and Study of Digital Activism on Climate Change
-
Andres Shoai
andresshoai@gmail.com
-
Rebeca Suárez-Álvarez
rebeca.suarez@urjc.es
-
Gabriel Dvoskin
gadvoskin@uba.ar
Downloads
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56754/0718-4867.2025.3755Abstract
Introduction: The growing interest in the issue of polarization in multiple contemporary societies requires special consideration of the discursive dimension of this phenomenon. Objectives: On one hand, this work aims to develop a theoretical and methodological approach that leverages categories from polemical discourse analysis to study polarization in public opinion. On the other hand, it seeks to apply this framework to the discursive analysis of digital activism on climate change —an area with significant cognitive potential for examining polarization. Methodology: After developing a framework with two basic dimensions (discursive object and enunciative scene), a qualitative analysis is conducted on a corpus of publications (n=248) from four key activists on the social network X over 18 months. Results: Rather than being structured around the opposition of two predominant and clearly defined groups, polarization dynamically varies within a network of ideological positions and identity-affective groupings, where the defining element is the formation of multiple “us” vs. “them” configurations that are presented as irreconcilable. On the other hand, polarization is not transversal to the field under analysis; rather, it leaves room for alternative configurations. Discussion: Discourse analysis captures multiple coexisting markers of argumentation and identity, enabling the identification of polarized positions and groups, as well as alternative configurations. Conclusion: The fields of public opinion research and discourse analysis can complement each other to produce relevant conclusions regarding the issue of polarization.
Palabras Clave
Acosta, M.I. (2023). Educación geográfica, activismo ambiental y participación juvenil desde el Sur Global. Pleamar. Revista del Departamento de Geografía, (3), 7-29. http://fh.mdp.edu.ar/revistas/index.php/pleamar/index
Amossy, R. (2017). Apologia da polêmica. Editora Contexto.
Angenot, M. (2010). El discurso social. Los límites históricos de lo pensable y de lo decible. Siglo XXI.
____ (2015). Diálogo de surdos: sinopse de uma retórica antilógica. En O discurso social e as retóricas da incompreensão. EduFSCAR.
Aristóteles (1991). Rhétorique. Gallimard.
Bajtín, M. (2005). Estética de la creación verbal. Siglo XXI.
Balcells, L., Daniels, L.A., & Kuo, A. (2024). Territorial disputes and affective polarization. European Journal of Political Research, 63(3), 906-926. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6765.12640
Brüggemann, M., & Meyer, H. (2023). When debates break apart: discursive polarization as a multi-dimensional divergence emerging in and through communication. Communication Theory, 33(2-3), 132-142. https://doi.org/10.1093/ct/qtad012
Bruhny-Jensen, K. (2013). The complementarity of qualitative and quantitative methodologies in media and communication research. En Bruhny-Jensen, K. (Ed.), A handbook of media and communication research (pp. 266-284). Routledge.
Calvo, E., & Aruguete, N. (2020). Fake news, trolls y otros encantos: Cómo funcionan (para bien y para mal) las redes sociales. Siglo XXI.
Carrington, D., & Gayle, D. (2 de junio, 2024). ‘It’s all we have’: young climate activists on the state of politics around the world. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/02/its-all-we-have-young-climate-activists-on-the-state-of-politics-around-the-world
Ducrot, O. (2001). El decir y lo dicho. Edicial.
Dupont-de-Dinechin, P. (1 de diciembre, 2022). Inside Gen Z’s digital fight to save the Amazon. Adventure.com. https://adventure.com/gen-z-fights-to-save-the-amazon/
Dvoskin, G. (2017). El discurso de la Educación sexual en la Argentina: Sentidos legítimos y sentidos silenciados. Cadernos de Linguagem e Sociedade, 18(1), 158-177. http://hdl.handle.net/11336/72918
____ (2019). Metodología cualitativa en el campo del Análisis del Discurso. En Aguirre-Armendáriz, E., & Johnson-Mardones, D. (Comps.), Investigación Cualitativa en Latinoamérica (pp. 13-30). Escaparta.
Fairclough, N. (1992). Discourse and social change. Polity.
Falkenberg, M., Galeazzi, A., Torricelli, M., Di-Marco, N., Larosa, F., Sas, M., Mekacher, A., Pearce, W., Zollo, F., Quattrociocchi, W., & Baronchelli, A. (2022). Growing polarization around climate change on social media. Nature Climate Change, 12(12), 1114-1121.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01527-x
FeedSpot (28 de noviembre, 2024). Top 45 Climate Change Activists Influencers in 2023. FeedSpot. https://influencers.feedspot.com/climate_activist_instagram_influencers/
Fernández-Muerza, A. (15 de enero, 2024). Así son los jóvenes activistas que actúan contra la crisis climática. Hablando en Vidrio. https://hablandoenvidrio.com/asi-son-losjovenes-activistas-que-actuan-contra-la-crisis-climatica/
Fourneris, C. (2 de abril, 2024). Los activistas climáticos más jóvenes encabezan la acción ciudadana por nuestro planeta. Euronews.
FPAII (16 de noviembre, 2023). The 2023 Young Activists Summit honours five young activists at the United Nations in Geneva during a live event with the participation of Prince Albert II of Monaco. FPAII. https://www.fpa2.org/en/actualites/the-2023-youngactivists-summit-honours-five-young-activists-at-the-united-nations-in-geneva-during-alive-event-with-the-participation-of-prince-albert-ii-of-monaco-08374
Francis, S. (24 de abril, 2024). 12 climate activists inspiring us to fight climate change. International Rescue Commitee. https://www.rescue.org/uk/article/12-climate-activistsinspiring-us-fight-climate-change
Friedman, E.J., & Rodríguez-Gustá, A.L. (2023). “El viento arrollador”: la irrupción de las jóvenes en la protesta del Ni Una Menos de Argentina. Perfiles Latinoamericanos, 31(61). https://doi.org/10.18504/pl3161-003-2023
García-González, L.A. (2023). Una revisión de la literatura sobre la investigación del activismo digital feminista desde una perspectiva de comunicación y cultura digital. Global Media Journal México, 20(38), 94-113. https://doi.org/10.29105/gmjmx20.38-498
García-Negroni, M.M. (2016). Discurso político, contradestinación indirecta y puntos de vista evidenciales. La multidestinación en el discurso político revisitada. Revista Latinoamericana de Estudios del Discurso, 16(1), 37-59. http://hdl.handle.net/11336/102657
García-Negroni, M.M., & Tordesillas-Colado, M. (2001). La enunciación en la lengua. Gredos.
Godden, N.J., Macnish, P., Chakma, T., & Naidu, K. (2020). Feminist participatory action research as a tool for climate justice. Gender & Development, 28(3), 593-615. https://doi.org/10.1080/13552074.2020.1842040
Gordon, L. (2020). La interseccionalidad, el feminismo socialista y el activismo contemporáneo: reflexiones de una feminista socialista de la segunda ola. Zona Franca, (28), 483-515. http://zonafranca.unr.edu.ar/index.php/ZonaFranca
Hase, V., Mahl, D., Schäfer, M.S., & Keller, T.R. (2021). Climate change in news media across the globe: An automated analysis of issue attention and themes in climate change coverage in 10 countries (2006–2018). Global Environmental Change, 70, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2021.102353
Haugestad, C.A., Skauge, A.D., Kunst, J.R., & Power, S.A. (2021). Why do youth participate in climate activism? A mixed-methods investigation of the #FridaysForFuture climate protests. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 76, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101647
Hautea, S., Parks, P., Takahashi, B., & Zeng, J. (2021). Showing they care (or don’t): Affective publics and ambivalent climate activism on TikTok. Social media + Society, 7(2), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305121101234
Hivos (26 de marzo, 2024). Young climate activists claim their seat at the table. Hivos News. https://hivos.org/young-climate-activists-claim-their-seat-at-the-table/
Hobolt, S.B., Leeper, T.J., & Tilley, J. (2021). Divided by the Vote: Affective Polarization in the Wake of the Brexit Referendum. British Journal of Political Science, 51(4), 1476–1493. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123420000125
Hogg, M.A. (2016). Social Identity Theory. In McKeown, S., Haji, R., & Ferguson, N. (Eds.), Understanding Peace and Conflict Through Social Identity Theory (pp. 3-17). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29869-6_1
Hope, B. (1 de marzo, 2022). Get to know the world's top five youth climate activists. Sustainability Magazine. https://sustainabilitymag.com/sustainability/faces-of-changethe-top-five-youth-climate-activists-named-greta-emissions-change-pledge
Influence4You (15 de enero, 2022). Top 10 de los influencers ecologistas 2022. Influence4You https://bloges.influence4you.com/top-10-de-los-influencers-ecologistas/
Iyengar, S., Sood, G., & Lelkes, Y. (2012). Affect, Not Ideology: A Social Identity Perspective on Polarization. Public Opinion Quarterly, 76(3), 405-431. https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfs038
Kerbrat-Orecchioni, C. (1980). La enunciación de la subjetividad en la lengua. Hachette.
Lai, O. (12 de Agosto, 2022). 10 Young Climate Activists Leading the Way on Global Climate Action. Earth.org. https://earth.org/young-climate-activists-leading-the-way-onglobal-climate-action/
Lara, C.P. (2022). La politización de lo íntimo en el mayo feminista chileno y el movimiento #ChileDespertó. Revista Estudos Feministas, 30(2). https://doi.org/10.1590/1806-9584-2022v30n275563
Lelkes, Y. (2016). Mass polarization: Manifestations and measurements. Public Opinion Quarterly, 80(S1), 392-410. https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfw005
Maingueneau, D. (2008). Gênese dos discursos. Parábola.
Mason, L. (2018). Ideologues without Issues: The Polarizing Consequences of Ideological Identities. Public Opinion Quarterly, 82(S1), 866-887. https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfy005
Mavrodieva, A.V., Rachman, O.K., Harahap, V.B., & Shaw, R. (2019). Role of social media as a soft power tool in raising public awareness and engagement in addressing climate change. Climate, 7(10), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.3390/cli7100122
Mazzuchino, M.G. (2024). Escritura (s) de Mujer (es): La lucha por la memoria en una cuenta feminista de Twitter. Confluencia: Revista Hispánica de Cultura y Literatura, 39(2), 37-56. https://doi.org/10.1353/cnf.2024.a925991
McCarty, N., Pool, K.T., & Rosenthal, H. (2008). Polarized America: The Dance of Ideology and Unequal Riches. MIT Press.
McCoy, J., Rahman, T., & Somer, M. (2018). Polarization and the global crisis of democracy: Common patterns, dynamics, and pernicious consequences for democratic polities. American Behavioral Scientist, 62(1), 16-42. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764218759576
Medina, M.A. (6 de febrero, 2023). Así son los jóvenes españoles del activismo climático más radical: “Estamos dispuestos a ir a la cárcel”. El País. https://elpais.com/clima-ymedio-ambiente/2023-02-06/asi-son-los-jovenes-espanoles-del-activismo-climatico-masradical-estamos-dispuestos-a-ir-a-la-carcel.html
Meyer, H., Peach, A.K., Guenther, L., Kedar, H.E., & Brüggemann, M. (2023). Between calls for action and narratives of denial: Climate change attention structures on Twitter. Media and Communication, 11(1), 278-292. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v11i1.6111
Montero, S. (2024). Una democracia afectada. Política y emociones en el discurso de la nueva derecha argentina en redes sociales. Revista Panamericana de Comunicación, 6(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.21555/rpc.v6i1.3018
____ (Comp.) (2023). El análisis del discurso polémico: disputas, querellas y controversias. Prometeo.
Neela-Stock, S. (28 de septiembre, 2019). 5 young climate activists to follow beyond Greta Thunberg. Mashable. https://mashable.com/article/youth-climate-activists-gretathunberg
O'Brien, K., Selboe, E., & Hayward, B.M. (2018). Exploring youth activism on climate change. Ecology and Society, 23(3). 1-13. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-10287-230342
Oden, A., & Porter, L. (2023). The Kids Are Online: Teen Social Media Use, Civic Engagement, and Affective Polarization. Social Media + Society, 9(3). 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051231186364
ONU (12 de Agosto, 2025). The Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change. United Nations. Climate Action. https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/youth-in-action/youth-advisorygroup
____ (s.f.). Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals. United Nations. Youth Office. https://www.un.org/youthenvoy/about-the-young-leaders-for-the-sdgs/
Pearce, W., Niederer, S., Özkula, S.M., & Sánchez-Querubín, N. (2019). The social media life of climate change: Platforms, publics, and future imaginaries. Wiley interdisciplinary reviews: Climate Change, 10(2), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.569
Pena-Guedes, W., Branchi, B.A., Sugahara, C.R., & Lobardo-Ferreira, D.H. (2024). Gender-based climate (in)justice: An overview. Environmental Science & Policy, 162, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103934
Perelman, C., & Olbrechts-Tyteca, L. (1958). Tratado de la Argumentación. La Nueva Retórica. Gredos.
Pérez, S., & Aymá, A. (2024). El discurso de la extrema derecha en Argentina: los derechos como signo en disputa. Refracción: revista sobre lingüística materialista, (10), 69-91. http://hdl.handle.net/10201/143141
Poma, A., & Gravante, T. (2022). La nueva ola de activismo climático en México. En Poma, A., & Gravante, T. (Coords.), Generando con-ciencia sobre el cambio climático (pp. 54-72). UNAM.
Raffio, V. (11 de noviembre, 2023). 28 activistas más allá de Greta Thunberg para entender la lucha contra la crisis. El Periódico.
Raiter, A. (2008). Analizar el uso lingüístico es analizar ideología. En Raiter, A., & Zullo, J. (Comps.), La caja de Pandora (1a ed., p. 234). La Crujía.
Ramírez, I., & Falak, A. (2023). “Te amo, te odio: dame más”. Polarización afectiva en la opinión pública argentina. Revista SAAP, 17(2), 361-397. https://dx.doi.org/10.46468/rsaap.17.2.a
Resa (31 de enero, 2023). Sustainability by ResaHub: 5 jóvenes activistas españoles que deberías seguir. Resa Life. https://resa.es/blog/sustainability-by-resahub-5-jovenesactivistas-espanoles-que-deberias-seguir/
Rojo-Martínez, J.M., & Crespo-Martínez, I. (2023). «Lo político como algo personal»: una revisión teórica sobre la polarización afectiva. Revista de Ciencia Política, 43(1), 25-48. http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/s0718-090x2023005000102
Sancho-Carrasco, T.S. (2022). Los derechos de la naturaleza y el empoderamiento de mujeres y niñas: Dos instrumentos clave en la futura gestión de las migraciones, el refugio y la apatridia. Congresso Internacional de Direitos Humanos de Coimbra, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.29327/1163602.7-217
Shoai, A. (2025). Intergroup Hostility in the Public Sphere: Systematizing the Rising Concern for Affective Polarization Beyond Partisan Lines. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 37(4), 1-13, https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpor/edaf044
Shoai, A., & López-Molina, A. (2023). Polarización e Inteligencia Artificial: una sistematización del conocimiento disponible. En Vázquez-Barrio, T., & Salazar-García, I. (Eds.), Inteligencia Artificial, Periodismo y Democracia, (pp. 247-263). Tirant Lo Blanch.
Snyder, K. (23 de marzo, 2016). Are Influencers the Key to Fighting Climate Change? Dot.LA. https://dot.la/environmental-influences-2659597153.html
Suárez-Álvarez, R., & García-Jiménez, A. (2021). Centennials en TikTok: tipología de vídeos. Análisis y comparativa España-Gran Bretaña por género, edad y nacionalidad. Revista Latina de Comunicación Social, (79), 1-21. https://www.doi.org/10.4185/RLCS2021-1503
Svolik, M.W. (2019). Polarization versus democracy. Journal of democracy, 30(3), 20-32. https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2019.0039
Tenea (8 de septiembre, 2022). 6 jóvenes activistas climáticos de los que tenemos mucho que aprender. Tenea Blog. https://blog.tenea.com/activistas-climaticos/
The Climate Reality Project (19 de abril, 2019). Young climate activists to follow on Twitter. The Climate Reality Project Blog.
https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/young-climate-activists-follow-twitter
Thorsberg, C. (9 de septiembre, 2021). 5 Powerful—and Very Online—Youth Climate Activists. Sierra. https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/cool-schools-2021/5-powerful-andvery-online-youth-climate-activists
Townsend, S. (9 de diciembre, 2022). Greenfluencers: How Social Media Creators Are Becoming Sustainability Superheroes. Forbes.
Tyagi, A., Uyheng, J., & Carley, K.M. (2021). Heated conversations in a warming world: affective polarization in online climate change discourse follows real-world climate anomalies. Social Network Analysis and Mining, 11(1), 87. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13278-021-00792-6
UNICEF (26 de mayo, 2021). Conoce a la delegación joven de activistas que representarán a la región. UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org/lac/meet-delegation-young-activist-willrepresent-region
____ (s.f.-a). Young climate activists demand action and inspire hope. UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org/stories/young-climate-activists-demand-action-inspire-hope
____ (s.f.-b). Youth Advocates. UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org/youth-advocates
Verón, E. (1986). El sentido como producción discursiva. En La semiosis social. Fragmentos de una teoría de la discursividad (pp. 124-133). Gedisa.
____ (1987). La palabra adversativa. En El discurso político. Lenguaje y acontecimientos. Hachette.
Verón, E., & Sigal, S. (1985). Perón o muerte. Los fundamentos del discurso peronista. Eudeba.
Voices of Youth (s.f.). Climate Action in the time of COVID-19. Voices of Youth. https://www.voicesofyouth.org/campaign/climate-action-time-covid-19
Yarchi, M., Baden, C., & Kligler-Vilenchik, N. (2021). Political polarization on the digital sphere: A cross-platform, over-time analysis of interactional, positional, and affective polarization on social media. Political Communication, 38(1-2), 98-139. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2020.1785067
Similar Articles
- Alfredo Arceo Vacas, Rafael Barberá González, Sergio Álvarez Sánchez, The context of perception generated on Twitter for the Spanish electoral debates of December 2015 and June 2016: treatment of the credibility factors by the candidates , Perspectivas de la Comunicación: Vol. 13 No. 2 (2020): July-December
- Andrea Cueva Villamarín, Social media and economic disinformation: impact on digital citizenship , Perspectivas de la Comunicación: Vol. 18 (2025): (Publishing on a rolling basis)
- Estefanía Luzuriaga Uribe, Gabriela Baquerizo-Neira, Twitter/X in the 2021 presidential campaign in Ecuador: digital interactions and their projection in the political polarization of the following campaigns , Perspectivas de la Comunicación: Vol. 18 (2025): (Publishing on a rolling basis)
- Francisco Sierra Caballero, Salomé Sola-Morales, Oppositional public space and cyberactivism, a materialistic reading of connective action , Perspectivas de la Comunicación: Vol. 13 No. 2 (2020): July-December
- Nicolás Del Valle Orellana, Bastián González-Bustamante, Political agenda, journalism and digital media in Chile. Research notes on informative pluralism , Perspectivas de la Comunicación: Vol. 11 No. 1 (2018): january - august
- Daniele Battista, Digital Platforms, the Spread of Hate, and Politics: A Critical Analysis , Perspectivas de la Comunicación: Vol. 18 (2025): (Publishing on a rolling basis)
- Giacomo Buoncompagni, Between cultural mosaics and institutional practices. Between cultural mosaics and institutional practices. Attempting to build a model of intercultural public communication. , Perspectivas de la Comunicación: Vol. 17 (2024): January - December
- Carlos Rusconi, Eugenia Roldán, Local media and political practices: notes for addressing mediatization. , Perspectivas de la Comunicación: Vol. 14 No. 1 (2021): January - June
- Baal Ulises Delupi, Carnival, all my life! Artivistic Resistance Speeches in Barcelona: The Case of Enmedio , Perspectivas de la Comunicación: Vol. 15 No. 1 (2022): January - June
- Tănase Tasențe, Mihaela Luminița Sandu, Cristina-Dana Popescu, From likes to change: assessing the impact of citizen engagement on the European Commission’s social media platforms , Perspectivas de la Comunicación: Vol. 17 (2024): January - December
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 > >>
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Andres Shoai, Rebeca Suárez-Álvarez, Gabriel Dvoskin
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Proposed policy to offer Open Access Journals
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
a) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Attribution (CC -BY 4.0) 
that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
b) Authors are able to adopt licensing agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (for example, to post it to an institutional repositories or publish it in a monograph), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
c) Authors are allowed and encouraged to post their work online (For example, in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges and increase the citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
