Understanding Political Communication and Polarisation: A Case Study of the Colombian President’s X Utilisation

The shape of social media platforms has transformed political communication, particularly how political leaders engage with the public and influence opinion. This paper explores the dynamics of Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s use of X, formerly known as Twitter, to comprehend the transmission of digital political polarisation through political posts. The study examined two months’ worth of posts using a deductive coding method, applying the tactics of positive self-presentation and negative other-presentation identified by previous research. The analysis revealed a significant use of polarising posts, with 61% of President Petro’s posts employing either positive frames, negative ones, or both. These findings provide insight into the techniques used to create political divisions on social media platforms and contribute to ongoing discussions in the field of political communication studies.