Discursive Polarisation and the (Non-)Binary Spectrum: Social Media Debate on Gender Diversity

This study examines how social media can amplify debates about gender binarity and non-binariness, contributing to ideological and affective polarisation.

The aim is to analyse linguistic and discursive polarisation mechanisms in German social media discourse on the gender debate on platforms such as YouTube, Reddit, Instagram, X and Facebook. Three central discourse patterns were identified using biterm topic modelling and qualitative coding.

The binary gender model;

The juxtaposition of biological and social concepts of gender;

Epistemic frameworks and scientific controversies.

Rhetorical strategies include the use of derogatory language, appeals to moral or scientific authorities, and simplifications through dichotomisation. Future analyses will focus on affective polarisation to demonstrate how groups are constructed through communication. Methodologically, this work contributes to the field by combining computer-assisted text analysis and discourse analysis methods.