Instead of adding to the relatively large body of literature on the gloomy mechanisms of polarization and its disruptive consequences, this project directed by Johannes de Kruijf at Utrecht University aims to shed light on the possibilities of individual actors countering such destabilizing forces, connecting people and fostering cohesion. The project will take into account three different cultural contexts: India, Indonesia, and Iraq. The objective is to build a theory of social media influencer-instigated depolarization to help understand the potential of individual agents of positive change across the globe.

The project team plans to use a mixed-methods methodology that combines qualitative and quantitative content analysis, network analysis, and face-to-face in-depth interviews to gain insights into key mechanisms of depolarization. It seeks to develop universally applicable models of social media influencer-instigated depolarization and plans on theorizing context-specific indicators that vary cross-culturally.