Online identities are increasingly political: evidence from 30 countries

Have people become more likely to show their politics online? By examining the bios of 9.5 million Twitter users per month in 30 countries across the world, we show increasing politicization of self-authored personal descriptions. Political self-presentation online has become more common and normalised, as its prevalence roughly doubled from 2012 to 2022. We trace trends for ideological and partisan identities, and explore shifts in cultural identification. Our findings suggest a diffusion of norms: the adoption of politicized online identities became more accepted and widespread during the observed period. The choice to present oneself politically online, by establishing a commitment to a political view of the self, is likely to loop back into political engagement offline.