Enemy Construction, Social Discontent, and the Digital Public Sphere From Programmatic to Identity-Based Polarization

Absztrakt

Periods of crisis and instability often provide fertile ground for enemy construction, as political actors translate diffuse social discontent into personalized and emotionally charged narratives. While traditionally political polarization could be structured along programmatic or ideological lines, in recent years enemy-making has increasingly shifted polarization toward identity-based divisions. This process simplifies complex structural problems by offering symbolic adversaries as readily available explanations, hence transforming dissatisfaction into antagonism. The digital public sphere further amplifies these dynamics. The architecture of social networks encourages selective exposure, reinforcing ‘echo chambers’ and ‘filter bubbles’ where enemy narratives circulate with limited contestation. In such contexts, enemy images are not merely rhetorical devices but central organizing principles of political communication, capable of mobilizing broad segments of society while deepening social fragmentation. The analysis explores how the interplay between crisis discourses, enemy construction, and the digital public sphere reshapes both the form and intensity of political discontent. The paper draws on recent examples with particular attention to Hungary, where crisis-oriented government communication has consistently linked social grievances to constructed adversaries – ranging from external groups and supranational institutions to domestic opponents – and has successfully embedded these narratives into digital ecosystems. By analyzing enemy-construction as both a response to and a driver of social discontent, this paper contributes to understanding how dissatisfaction in times of crisis can be harnessed to entrench polarization rather than to open avenues for constructive political change.