Social Media as an Extended Public Sphere: A Study of Twitter (X) in the Context of India-Pakistan Relationship

Nadia Saleem and Farasat Rasool

Abstract

The conventional public domains, namely print and broadcast media, have often functioned as intermediaries in the complicated and long-standing association between India and Pakistan. The primary objective of this research is to investigate the functioning of Twitter or ‘X’ as an extended public sphere and its impact on the development and circulation of public narratives about IndiaPakistan relations. The present study is based on mixed method sequential explanatory design; in which data was first analysed quantitatively through the Mozdeg Big Data Analysis Software and then qualitative analysis was done through Speech Act Analysis. The results show that Twitter has introduced a novel aspect to public discourse, enabling a broader and more diverse exchange of ideas and narratives. The study concludes with recommendations about how social media can be used for the promotion of peace between India and Pakistan and to develop better relations between common citizens of the two countries.