Users’ Discourse from primarily US-focused subreddits about the Political Image of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2023

Abstract

This longitudinal study examines the evolution of political discourse about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) among users from primarily US-focused subreddits, as reflected in Reddit discussions between 2015 and 2023. Social media interactions, characterized by anonymity and performativity, can help differentiate between authentic perspectives and misinformation. With its diverse user base and wide-ranging discussions, Reddit provides a valuable data source for analyzing public sentiment. To explore changes in discourse, we investigated linguistic features such as clout, authenticity, emotional expression, and analytical thinking. We used Computer-Mediated Discourse Analysis (CMDA) and Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software to conduct qualitative content analysis and quantitative goodness-of-fit tests. Analytical thinking reflects how systematically users present political arguments, while clout captures the confidence and authority of discourse, highlighting dominant voices. Authenticity measures the sincerity of discourse, and emotional tone reveals users’ feelings toward KSA. Our findings show an overall increase in analytical discourse and a decrease in negative tone, although emotional sentiment remained largely negative. Peaks in clout, authenticity, and emotional tone corresponded to major political events, indicating how such events shape public attitudes. These results suggest that significant political and social events influence both the content and tone of political discourse and may, in turn, impact public perceptions and emotions.