Disconnective practices and partisan polarization

Persian Twitter’s fragmented public sphere

Bibliographic Data

ID19224331
AuthorsMasoumeh Mohajer Rahbari (0000-0001-9356-8372, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Iran), Mohammad Rahbari (0000-0003-1133-2134, Allameh Tabataba'i University, corresponding author), Hadi Safari (0000-0002-4240-8077, Tarbiat Modares University), Ali Nanvayi (0000-0002-5887-5729, Allameh Tabataba'i University)
Year2026
Publication date2026-04-29
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueNew Media & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1461-4448 • E-ISSN: 1461-7315
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/14614448261433479
OpenAlexW7159820953
LanguageEN
References cited50

This study examines disconnective behaviors and political polarization on Persian Twitter, highlighting block talk, selective avoidance, and political incivility. While Twitter’s role in polarization and fragmentation has been widely studied in Western democracies, non-Western countries like Iran remain underexplored. Using temporal and social network analysis of 226 million tweets and key events from 2019 to 2022, this research fills this gap by analyzing how Iranian users engage in blocking, unfollowing, and using vulgar language, contributing to a fragmented and polarized environment. Findings reveal that block talk and political incivility, as persistent behaviors, increase during political turmoil, exacerbating partisan polarization. These digital behaviors both reflect and amplify societal divisions, reducing trust and tolerance—key elements of democratic culture. By examining Persian Twitter as a public sphere where political actors shape discourse, this study offers insights into the broader implications of social media’s impact on political polarization in non-Western countries

Democracy · Persian · Polarization (electrochemistry) · Political communication · Politics · Public sphere · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Populism, Right-Wing Movements · Social Media and Politics