DIGITAL NATIONALISM AND POLITICAL COMMUNICATION: SOCIAL MEDIA NARRATIVES, IDENTITY FORMATION, AND PUBLIC SENTIMENT

Abstract

The rapid expansion of social media has significantly transformed political communication and the ways in whichnational identity narratives are constructed and disseminated in digital environments. This study examines therelationship between digital nationalism, political communication, and public sentiment by analyzing social mediadiscourse on Twitter. Using a mixed-method research approach, the study combines content analysis, sentiment analysis,and engagement analysis to investigate how nationalist narratives are framed and circulated within online politicaldiscussions. The dataset consists of approximately 50,000 tweets, from which nationalism-related tweets were identifiedthrough keyword-based filtering. The results reveal that identity-centered narratives, particularly those emphasizingnational pride, cultural belonging, and symbolic references to the nation, dominate digital nationalist discourse.Sentiment analysis indicates that a majority of tweets express positive attitudes toward national identity, while a smaller proportion reflects critical or opposing perspectives. Engagement analysis further shows that tweets containingnationalist narratives generate higher levels of audience interaction, suggesting that identity-based political messagesresonate strongly within digital communication networks. The findings highlight the growing importance of social mediaplatforms in shaping nationalist discourse, public sentiment, and political engagement in contemporary digital societies.This study contributes to the literature on digital political communication by providing empirical insights into how
nationalist narratives operate within social media environments.