The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretical approach to the notion of political counter-narrative. Given the novelty of this narrative technique, its causes are first addressed: moral absolutism, affective polarization, informational chaos, uncertainty, and digital tribalism. Then, the counter-narrative is defined as a semantic structure that, regardless of temporality, seeks to destroy the symbolic capital of the adversary. Subsequently, its main features –reactivity, negativity, emotiveness, stereotyping, and permanence– are detailed, as are its functions –linking wills through opposition, drawing clear identity boundaries, being emotionally rewarding, and simplifying reality–. In closing, a review of the main findings is provided, and various lines of research are proposed, such as observing the resonance and application of this technique by citizens and the possibil...

The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretical approach to the notion of political counter-narrative. Given the novelty of this narrative technique, its causes are first addressed: moral absolutism, affective polarization, informational chaos, uncertainty, and digital tribalism. Then, the counter-narrative is defined as a semantic structure that, regardless of temporality, seeks to destroy the symbolic capital of the adversary. Subsequently, its main features –reactivity, negativity, emotiveness, stereotyping, and permanence– are detailed, as are its functions –linking wills through opposition, drawing clear identity boundaries, being emotionally rewarding, and simplifying reality–. In closing, a review of the main findings is provided, and various lines of research are proposed, such as observing the resonance and application of this technique by citizens and the possibil...

Purpose. This article analyzes negative campaigns on social media during presidential elections in seven South American countries. Methodology. Through a content analysis of 15,073 posts on X, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, the study investigates the predominant type of message (positive, contrast, or negative), the social network with the highest concentration of negative content, the dimension of these messages (personal or political), and the influence of the candidate's ideology. Results and Conclusions. The results show that the majority of the messages are positive (80%). X turned out to be the platform with the highest presence of negative messages, although these are mainly focused on the political dimension of the candidates. No significant differences were found in the use of negative campaigns between left-wing and right-wing candidates. Original Contribution. In summary, th...