The Spiral of Mediated Polarization

This paper examines the dynamics of online behaviors on social media to explore polarizing patterns. First, the research conducted a qualitative content analysis of 200 X (formerly Twitter) posts, published by leading journalists and politicians from Israel and the US, to identify key components of polarizing content: ideological stances, polemical language, and aggressive rhetoric targeting opposing groups. A subsequent quantitative analysis of 720 posts by eight Israeli journalists and eight politicians