Přehled o publikaci

During times of crisis, fear may prompt a greater need for identity confirmation in order to reduce uncertainty. People find comfort in identifying with an online in-group, but this could worsen societal division. Our study analyzed Facebook discussions about the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russo-Ukrainian war in order to identify the common patterns of economic and social uncertainties expressed through repeated anti-narratives. We focused on the public Facebook pages of the two Czech TV news outlets with the largest and most diverse audiences during two phases of each crisis. We analyzed 1,680 comments with grounded theory coding procedures. The findings reveal that, regardless of the media outlets’ ideology, crisis topic, and political representation, similar polarizing narratives that resemble populist discourse are used to construct the identity of “the people” standing against “the elites.” The study highlights how repetitive narratives in mainstream online spaces can reinforce polarization and pose broader societal risks.