Abstract:

Polarisation is no longer confined to parliaments, protests, or election cycles with their heated ideological debates. It has moved into the everyday?shaping the clothes we wear, the products we buy, the media we consume, and the language we use?even our stances on AI or sustainability.

These once-neutral choices now carry symbolic weight, quietly signalling who we are and which ?tribe? we belong to, reinforcing an ?us versus them? dynamic that shapes how we see others and how we are seen.

In Poland, Spain, and many other countries, seemingly ordinary choices have become symbolic declarations, marking identity and signalling belonging. Whether they intend to or not, brands are caught in the middle of this shift. They are no longer simply market actors; they are participants in a wider cultural struggle over meaning and legitimacy.