ITZIAR
PEDROCHE SANTOVEÑA

I am currently a predoctoral researcher working on the dissertation “PinchaLaBurbuja: Analysis of Affective Polarization on Social Media and the Creation of a Generative AI–Based Tool to Foster Critical Thinking”, funded through an FPI grant. The project traces an evolution from the concept of the echo chamber to that of affective polarization, as the latter incorporates a definition that moves from ideological affiliation toward the construction of identities shaped by emotional impact. PinchaLaBurbuja® is a media literacy tool designed to examine five key dimensions of affective polarization: the manipulation of inferences and cognitive biases, the use of argumentative fallacies, identity-based confrontation, and the spread of hate speech. The proposal is structured around five artificial intelligence agents specialized in the multimodal discourse analysis of social media messages. These agents provide a joint and critical reading of online content, becoming an educational resource aimed at fostering critical thinking, particularly among secondary school, high school, and university students. One of the innovative features of PinchaLaBurbuja® is that it transforms the interpretive errors made by these agents—or Cyborgs—into pedagogical opportunities. By examining the “hallucinations” generated by the AI, students are invited to reflect on how automated systems construct narratives, which biases they reproduce, and what interpretive limitations they display. Far from diminishing the role of educators, the tool is grounded in a participatory approach in which teachers play a central role as critical mediators. The initiative adopts the HHAIR model (Hybrid Human–AI Regulation), which combines technological support for self-regulated learning with critical analysis of the technology itself. In this way, PinchaLaBurbuja promotes a holistic learning experience that interweaves the understanding of phenomena such as affective polarization and echo chambers with critical AI literacy.