Political Science

Slovak MPs' response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine in light of conspiracy theories and the polarization of political discourse

T. Lintner, T. Diviák, et al.

This study conducted by Tomáš Lintner, Tomáš Diviák, Barbora Nekardová, Lukáš Lehotský, and Michal Vašečka explores how the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine transformed Slovak political discourse on Facebook. It combines qualitative and quantitative analyses to reveal a stark division between pro-Ukrainian coalition members and pro-Russian opposition, highlighting the impact of political polarization and conspiracy theories.

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Abstract

This study investigates Slovak political discourse on Facebook before and after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine using Discourse Network Analysis. The analysis combines qualitative content analysis of MPs' Facebook posts with quantitative bipartite social network analysis. Results show the invasion dramatically shifted discourse, with domestic issues replaced by invasion-related topics. A strong coalition-opposition split emerged, with coalition MPs expressing pro-Ukrainian sentiments and opposition MPs largely promoting pro-Russian propaganda and conspiracy theories. The study identifies agenda setting, agenda reinforcement, and increasing political polarization as key drivers of the discourse shift, supporting the "conspiracy singularity" theory.

Publisher

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications

Published On

Oct 31, 2023

Authors

Tomáš Lintner, Tomáš Diviák, Barbora Nekardová, Lukáš Lehotský, Michal Vašečka

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