Scenography and ethos: the discourse of intolerance and political polarization on Twitter

Abstract

This article analyzes the discursive staging on Twitter on an intensely polarized political spectrum where the parties of the debate fail to chain a legitimate negotiation of meaning among themselves, directing the enunciative act to appreciation of their pairs of debate and assigning to the opposite side a mere function to fulfill as an anti-guarantor of a negative ethical world whose characterization forges a contrast that strengthens the ethos of the enunciator. The theoretical framework is based on the scenography and ethos of Maingueneau (2008a), supported by the ethical act of Bakhtin (2012) and the ubiquitous communication of Santaella (2014). The analysis is based on a tweet about the death of Dona Marisa Letícia and the atmosphere of intolerance that covered social networks. We conclude that the oppositions of polarization operate a discursive staging in the service of their identity preservation that prevents them from accepting opposing perspectives.