Lula as a polarizing element

Topological Data Analysis (TDA) for the comprehension of affective polarization in Twitter

Abstract

The article investigates the centrality of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as a polarizing figure on Twitter during the 2022 elections, seeking to answer the question: what structural and content-based characteristics identify Lula as a polarizing element in the public debate of that period? Based on a corpus of 18,000 tweets, a Bipolar Constellation (Rocha, 2024) was identified: two dense poles of interaction, pro- and anti-Lula, separated by gaps in communication. The results suggest that polarization, rather than being limited to ideological divergences, takes on an affective and moralizing character, sustained by symbolic mobilization around Lula. In this scenario, gatekeepers — both digital influencers and media outlets — play a central role in the consolidation of echo chambers and in the intensification of public scandalization. The analysis also shows that bolsonarismo is not restricted to antipetismo but constitutes an ideological movement in its own right. Thus, the interaction between petismo and bolsonarismo produces a dynamic of symmetric personalisms that structures contemporary polarization in Brazil.