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33 Pages : 364-375

http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2023(VIII-II).33      10.31703/gssr.2023(VIII-II).33      Published : Jun 2023

Politics of Hate and Social Media: Thematic Analysis of Political Hate Discourses on Facebook

    This article documented the presence of politically motivated hate content in online political discourses and also explored major themes against political opponents in Pakistan. A total of 744 posts were collected from Facebook pages affiliated with two major political parties. The amount indicates the significant amount of politically motivated hate content presented in online political discourses. The data were thematically analyzed from which 3 major themes emerged. The data revealed that political discourses were filed with denigration of opposites through abusive and disgusted language followed by the dehumanization of opposites such as naming and comparing with different animals like dogs, pigs etc. It was also found that character assassination was done by framing opposites as morally and socially characterless, by accusing them as sexually corrupt, drug addictive, and as well homosexual etc. Lastly, the opposites were framed as "anti-state", "traitors" and "foreign agents who have become "threats" to national peace, cohesion and integrity of the state and as well to destabilize the country.

    Hate Speech, Media Framing, Thematic Analysis, Political Discourse, Social Media, Pakistani Politics
    (1) Muhammad Akbar
    PhD Scholar, Institute of Media and Communication Studies, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Punjab, Pakistan.
    (2) Aasima Safdar
    Assistant Professor, Institute of Media and Communication Studies, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Punjab, Pakistan.