A fractured society. For the first time after the tragedy, Poles are not uniting

Instead of national mourning and shared experience of the tragedy, the attack in Krakow almost immediately became the subject of political disputes. Media experts warn that this is a disturbing signal for Polish society.

Poles have always united in the face of tragedy. They united, for a longer or shorter time, after the death of the Pope or the Smolensk disaster, as well as other disasters. But this time it didn't happen, we immediately separated. I see this as a very dangerous signal showing that the world we know is fading into oblivion, said Dr. Hab. in an interview with the Polish Press Agency. Katarzyna Bąkowicz from SWPS.

Quick explanations and media disinformation

As she emphasized, in the face of dramatic events, people have a natural need to quickly explain and understand the situation. When something that deviates from social norms happens, we need to explain it very quickly. Hence the willingness to share even unverified information, sending each other videos or photos - explained Prof. Bąkowicz, who also researches disinformation.

Numerous photos and recordings from the scene of the tragedy, as well as fake news and manipulated graphics, immediately appeared on the Internet. One of them, generated by artificial intelligence, showed the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, Marcin Kierwiński, allegedly shaking the hand of the assassin. The false image was widely disseminated, including by a TV Republika journalist. The case has already been referred to the prosecutor's office.

Media and politics – fewer and fewer borders

According to the expert, it is increasingly difficult to separate media messages from political interests. As Bąkowicz emphasized, the way of reacting to the tragedy is also influenced by the political calendar, including the upcoming parliamentary elections, which may change the balance of power on the Polish political scene. In her opinion, politicians use such events for their own purposes, regardless of moral boundaries. The more exciting something is, the easier it is to add politics to it, she emphasized.

In her opinion, while the number of photos and videos published on the Internet after the attack in Krakow is not surprising, the behavior of some media, including TV Republika, should raise outrage. The media no longer even pretends that they are not political. In the past, the statement about the politicization of the media was perceived as offensive. At this point, it no longer impresses anyone, the expert pointed out.

Normalization of violence

Dr. Krzysztof Grzegorzewski from the University of Łódź points to the phenomenon of the so-called political parallelism of the media.

Political parallelism can be defined by the phrase: tell me what TV you watch and I will tell you how you will vote - said the media expert. In his opinion, news media are increasingly giving way to identity-based media, which reinforce social polarization even when reporting events seemingly distant from politics.

Modern social media, referred to by Grzegorzewski as "algorithmic platforms", further deepen the divisions. Their goal is to attract users' attention for as long as possible, which helps to arouse emotions and create closed information bubbles. This, in turn, leads to the normalization of violence and indifference to the tragedies of others.

This politicization and extremization of everything has led to the normalization of violence. We are becoming less and less sensitive, hence the lack of unity. Since everything becomes a bargaining chip in politics - emphasized Prof. Bąkowicz.