Date of Award

Spring 2026

Language

English

Embargo Period

4-29-2026

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

College/School/Department

Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security

Program

Emergency Management and Homeland Security

First Advisor

Sam Jackson

Second Advisor

Michael Young

Committee Members

Sam Jackson, Michael Young, Brian Nussbaum

Keywords

social media, political polarization, affective polarization, Instagram

Subject Categories

American Politics

Abstract

Instagram has frequently been characterized by users as a platform that permits the circulation of hostile and adversarial political content due to comparatively limited moderation practices. In January 2025, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced changes to content moderation policies on Facebook and Instagram, including the removal of third-party fact-checking mechanisms. These platform-level changes further reshaped the political information environment in which online discourse occurs. However, even prior to these policy changes, Instagram had established itself as a prominent space for highly polarized political expression across the ideological spectrum.

This thesis examines how political polarization in the United States is reflected and reinforced through the ways left-leaning and right-leaning communities on Instagram portray their ideological opposition. Focusing on affective polarization, the study analyzes adversarial narratives, grievance framing, and dehumanizing characterizations within political content posted between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025.

License

This work is licensed under the University at Albany Standard Author Agreement.

Download

Share

COinS