Analysing the Impact of Telegram (Social Media) on the Political Public Sphere: A Study on the Political Public Sphere and Deliberative Democracy

Abstract

This study analyses the quality of political discourse on social media by focusing on the Israel-Palestine conflict. It is based on Habermas' (2023) hypothesis, which suggests that individuals who mainly use social media platforms engage in a type of discourse that is semi-public, fragmented, and cyclical. Habermas argues that the shift from a public sphere to semi-public spheres results in what he refers to as “disrupted public spheres”. The research question of this study is: How disrupts the telegramsphere, the political public sphere, and the deliberative discourse by sustaining and disseminating a low-quality discourse inside social media? Does the telegramsphere often spread the correspondent’s opinion-biassed discourse, and if it does, how does it accomplish this? Thus, this study utilises a combination of quantitative machine learning analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis, employing a mixed-methods approach. The data obtained from Telegram channels was analysed in order to categorise and group recurring terms. The findings suggest that Telegram messages often exhibit a lack of high-quality discourse, characterised by emotionally charged narratives, inadequate reasoning, and a disregard for differing opinions. The goal of these research channels and topics is to strengthen group unity and spread biassed information in order to influence public opinion. In summary, the fact that Telegram is only semi-public and lacks qualitative discourse norms distorts political deliberation, which in turn undermines the diversity and quality necessary for effective deliberative democracy.