Constructing Public Opinion in Times of Disaster: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Pakistan’s 2025 Floods

Abstract

Pakistan is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, and the 2025 floods caused widespread destruction across multiple provinces, displacing millions of people and exposing deep gaps in disaster management and governance. X has become an important platform for Pakistani individuals and international observers to share their thoughts, complaints, and concerns on the floods and the government’s response, since social media has evolved as a vital arena for public expression during crises. This study uses Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to investigate how public opinion was formed and conveyed on X during the floods in Pakistan in 2025. Van Dijk’s (2006) socio-cognitive method and Fairclough’s (1995) three-dimensional model were applied in tandem to gather and examine 100 English-language tweets. Van Dijk’s ideological square was utilized to investigate how X users positioned themselves as suffering citizens against a government they believed to be careless and corrupt, while Fairclough’s model was employed to investigate language at the textual, discursive, and social practice levels. According to the analysis, public debate on X during the 2025 floods was highly critical of the government and state institutions, with individuals continuously portraying the catastrophe as the result of corruption, political failure, and poor management rather than just natural reasons. The results show that X serves as a strong counter-public forum where common people employ language, hashtags, and emotional expression to demand accountability, shape narratives, and affect how the public perceives crises and Pakistani administration.