“My Way or No Way”: Political Polarization and Disagreement Among Immigrant Influencers and Their Followers

This article explores the online discussions between Carlos and Lizzy, two Latin American immigrant influencers in the United States with profiles on TikTok and Instagram. The dataset comprises a 90-minute live debate between them, that took place on September 25th, 2021, broadcast on Instagram and...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Daniela Jaramillo-Dent
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cogitatio 2023-05-01
Series:Politics and Governance
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/6375
_version_ 1797825341667934208
author Daniela Jaramillo-Dent
author_facet Daniela Jaramillo-Dent
author_sort Daniela Jaramillo-Dent
collection DOAJ
description This article explores the online discussions between Carlos and Lizzy, two Latin American immigrant influencers in the United States with profiles on TikTok and Instagram. The dataset comprises a 90-minute live debate between them, that took place on September 25th, 2021, broadcast on Instagram and available on one of the profiles, as well as 1200 comments by 933 different viewers, received during the broadcast. The analysis relies on previous research on polarization, deliberation, and disagreement on social media platforms and it provides insights regarding the political and ideological diversity that exists among immigrant influencers and their followers. It focuses on the discursive strategies deployed by these content creators to discuss issues related to immigration reform and activism from two distinct political stances. It also provides a glimpse into topics of interest for the immigrant community as reflected by these content creators and commenting followers. The findings reflect the value of the ongoing relationship between content creators and their followers in the personal support and acceptance Carlos receives. In contrast, Lizzy is largely rejected and attacked, but a few of her arguments resonate with viewers. Comments about the debate itself are mostly negative due to the perceived low quality of the arguments, the mocking attitude of both debaters, and the need for a moderator to control the times. Comments that are critical of the debate often describe expectations of a more civil discussion and pathways to improve future debates.
first_indexed 2024-03-13T10:52:40Z
format Article
id doaj.art-c482ff44cdba4407b769d206cae2b44b
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2183-2463
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-13T10:52:40Z
publishDate 2023-05-01
publisher Cogitatio
record_format Article
series Politics and Governance
spelling doaj.art-c482ff44cdba4407b769d206cae2b44b2023-05-17T09:00:59ZengCogitatioPolitics and Governance2183-24632023-05-0111219820910.17645/pag.v11i2.63752960“My Way or No Way”: Political Polarization and Disagreement Among Immigrant Influencers and Their FollowersDaniela Jaramillo-Dent0Department of Communication and Media Research, Media Change, and Innovation Division, University of Zurich, SwitzerlandThis article explores the online discussions between Carlos and Lizzy, two Latin American immigrant influencers in the United States with profiles on TikTok and Instagram. The dataset comprises a 90-minute live debate between them, that took place on September 25th, 2021, broadcast on Instagram and available on one of the profiles, as well as 1200 comments by 933 different viewers, received during the broadcast. The analysis relies on previous research on polarization, deliberation, and disagreement on social media platforms and it provides insights regarding the political and ideological diversity that exists among immigrant influencers and their followers. It focuses on the discursive strategies deployed by these content creators to discuss issues related to immigration reform and activism from two distinct political stances. It also provides a glimpse into topics of interest for the immigrant community as reflected by these content creators and commenting followers. The findings reflect the value of the ongoing relationship between content creators and their followers in the personal support and acceptance Carlos receives. In contrast, Lizzy is largely rejected and attacked, but a few of her arguments resonate with viewers. Comments about the debate itself are mostly negative due to the perceived low quality of the arguments, the mocking attitude of both debaters, and the need for a moderator to control the times. Comments that are critical of the debate often describe expectations of a more civil discussion and pathways to improve future debates.https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/6375debateimmigrationinfluencersinstagramplatformspolitical polarizationsocial mediatiktokunited states of america
spellingShingle Daniela Jaramillo-Dent
“My Way or No Way”: Political Polarization and Disagreement Among Immigrant Influencers and Their Followers
Politics and Governance
debate
immigration
influencers
instagram
platforms
political polarization
social media
tiktok
united states of america
title “My Way or No Way”: Political Polarization and Disagreement Among Immigrant Influencers and Their Followers
title_full “My Way or No Way”: Political Polarization and Disagreement Among Immigrant Influencers and Their Followers
title_fullStr “My Way or No Way”: Political Polarization and Disagreement Among Immigrant Influencers and Their Followers
title_full_unstemmed “My Way or No Way”: Political Polarization and Disagreement Among Immigrant Influencers and Their Followers
title_short “My Way or No Way”: Political Polarization and Disagreement Among Immigrant Influencers and Their Followers
title_sort my way or no way political polarization and disagreement among immigrant influencers and their followers
topic debate
immigration
influencers
instagram
platforms
political polarization
social media
tiktok
united states of america
url https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/6375
work_keys_str_mv AT danielajaramillodent mywayornowaypoliticalpolarizationanddisagreementamongimmigrantinfluencersandtheirfollowers