Affective Polarization: Not Always Between Ingroup Vs Outgroup (Evidence from Twitter Conversation with Keywords Jokowi and PDIP)

¹ Government Studies, Faculty of Social Science and Political Science, Maritime University of Raja Ali Haji, Tanjungpinang, Indonesia, 29111
^a Doctoral Student in Social Science, Faculty of Social Science and Political Science, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia, 50275
^2,3,4 Government Studies, Faculty of Social Science and Political Science, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia, 50275

^* Corresponding author: nuraslamdp@umrah.ac.id

Abstract

The current development of information technology has transformed the form of public participation in politics. Political participation not only occurs in the real world but also in virtual spaces, and this is a manifestation of a smart society. Forms of political participation in virtual spaces, such as those observed on social media, give rise to the phenomenon of affective polarization, which is polarization based on likes and dislikes between internal and external groups. While some scholars have focused on affective polarization in the context of ingroup and outgroup dynamics within social media, there is still limited research on polarization occurring within the same ingroup. This study aims to address this gap by examining the phenomenon of affective polarization on Twitter, using the keywords 'PDIP' and 'Jokowi.' These hashtags emerged as reactions to a video segment of Megawati's speech that criticized Jokowi. By employing sentiment and content analysis on 964 tweets and user accounts, we found that 67% of Twitter users expressed negative sentiments towards Megawati's remarks about Jokowi, and these Twitter users included both Jokowi's supporters and neutral users. This result demonstrates that affective polarization not only occurs between internal and external groups but can also happen within the same group. These findings contribute to the advancement of research on affective polarization in the online context.