How Swiss Politicians Use the Internet to Divide and Conquer

Swiss politicians are using an online platform to connect and debate. This platform, called politnetz. ch, lets them share ideas, support each other, and even argue. Researchers looked at how these politicians interact and found some interesting patterns. First, they noticed that politicians tend to stick to their own parties when showing support. This means that if a politician from one party supports another politician, it's usually someone from the same party. This shows that there is a strong divide between parties online, just like in real life. But it's not just about support. Politicians also comment on each other's posts and like them. The comments often revolve around Swiss politics, showing that these interactions are not just idle chit-chat. They are serious discussions about important topics. The researchers also found that the level of agreement or disagreement, also known as polarization, changes over time. It seems to increase as elections approach. This makes sense because politicians might be trying to rally their supporters and differentiate themselves from their opponents during election season.Each party has its own social network within the platform. Researchers looked at these networks and found that they can tell us a lot about the party's ideology. For example, some parties have a more hierarchical structure, while others are more open and connected. This can affect how information flows within the party and how resilient the party is to changes or crises. Interestingly, the more similar two parties are in their ideology, the more their politicians interact with each other online. This suggests that ideology plays a big role in shaping online political interactions. So, what does all this mean? It shows that online platforms are not just for sharing cat videos and memes. They are also places where serious political discussions happen. And like in real life, these discussions can be divided along party lines. It's a reminder that the internet is a reflection of our offline world, with all its divisions and complexities.