“Birds of a Feather Flock Together” : Bipolarity, Homophily and Intra-Party Communication Degree of Polish MPs on Twitter

Abstract

Since the contemporary public sphere has largely moved online, Twitter has become the leading platform of political debate� Potentially harmful echo spheres, selective exposure and social media filter bubbles that limit individuals to their own opinions can be especially alarming when it concerns politicians� This paper aims to investigate the degree of homophily among Polish MPs, simultaneously indicating the way politicians form follower communication structures� The analysis of the data gathered from Twitter revealed observable elements of polarization at the political affiliation level, although the level of parliament chambers was found meaningless in that case� The Polish political Twittersphere is dominated by the two biggest parties, accurately reflecting parliament composition� The use of communication structure is examined throughout this paper, ultimately confirming the homo— ABSTRAKT —