Central European Journal of Communication

ABSTRACT: The concept of symmetrism, even more so deep symmetrism, does not appear in academic literature as a distinct field or topic. The purpose of this article is to elucidate the essence of this phenomenon, believing it constitutes an important concept that bridges politics and persuasion in contemporary politics. Deep symmetrism is assumed to be the generative mechanism of political struggle in the context of the growing strength of populist argumentation, supported by the actions taken by autocratic politicians when they are allowed to utilize wider resources. Symmetrism, originally a metanarrative, has evolved into a comprehensive system of duplicating social institutions (doppelgangering) for the purpose of orchestrating political influence. As such, it closely connects to the history of propaganda and disinformation. The foundation for this article is an analysis of political communication and its contexts during the 2023 election campaign in Poland, as reflected in mediated political discussions.

Full text: https://journals.ptks.pl/cejc/article/view/805/pdf