Strategic polarization? Filter bubbles, bridges and the role of politicians on Twitter during 2019 European Election in Slovenia

Abstract We examine a network of over 40,000 tweets posted before the 2019 European election in Slovenia. The discussion observed is highly polarized: analysis of communication patterns reveals a partisan structure with limited connectivity between centre-left and right-leaning clusters. Users tend to communicate with like-minded peers and share content originating from their own communities. Bridges – accounts enabling the diffusion of content between ideologically different communities – are almost non-existent. Right-wing politicians are among the most prominent users in the network and can dominate the discourse within their communities. This shows that politicians effectively use Twitter as a strategic communications tool to engage with their supporters, spread their partisan messages and make use of the polarized social media environment. The data mirrors findings from other democracies, providing further evidence that polarization of political discourse is a prominent feature of the contemporary communication environment, present across various national, geographical and political contexts.