Polarization on social media and its relationship with political departyization: an essay on Bolsonaro's Brazil

This chapter explores the interaction between populism, social media, and political polarization within the context of Brazil, focusing on Jair Bolsonaro's strategic use of social media between 2013 and 2022. It examines how social media facilitates a shift from collective political discourse to individualized engagement, contributing to the phenomenon of departyization, the declining relevance of political parties in the digital age. Employing a qualitative methodology, the chapter integrates interdisciplinary insights from political communication, sociology, and technology studies to analyze the emergence of cyberpopulism, characterized by micro- segmentation and the exploitation of user data. By relating Bolsonaro's strategies with those of Donald Trump in the United States, this study highlights the transformative role of populist communication in fostering polarization and institutional crises. The chapter concludes with reflections on the implications for democracy in a pluralistic society.