Psychosemantics of “us” and “them” in social media warfare

Abstract

The denotation and use of us and them have been used in various political discourses to either assimilate or alienate groups of people. Numerous political leaders have used both pronouns in their online narratives throughout different social media platforms in an effort to gain political mileage. This study aims to explore the notion of positive self-representation of us and the negative representation of them with the focus on the lexicon “kita” and “mereka” that influences public perception. The study is a phenomenological qualitative study that applied van Dijk’s critical discourse analysis method and the theory of ideological square. Samples were taken from Tan Sri Muhyiddin bin Md Yassin’s online live Wesak Day speech on May 6, 2020, and a speech by Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob in the 14th Parliamentary seating on July 18, 2022. The study applied a micro-level analysis of both lexicons. It can be concluded that both speeches have extremely different connotations and interpretations that are both favourable and unfavourable to both politicians.