It seems like the modern internet landscape is telling us that we, as a society, have never been more divided as voters. Thousands of pseudointellectuals online insist Republicans and Democrats live in totally different fantasies. They also claim people with different political beliefs are incapable of debate because of the disparity of truth between the two.
This regressive way of thinking could’ve been easily dismissed as unproductive 15 years ago; however, the algorithms in social platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram are programmed to uplift this content based on the user’s watch data. As a result, this rhetoric has been widely accepted as the truth.
The greatest threat to American politics is not policy or political greed; it’s the nihilism being preached to millions in vapid social spaces.
The absence of nuance in the average viewer’s feed can be traced to this issue. According to Adia May, a writer for the Human Rights Research Center, posts that elicit strong emotional responses from commenters are more likely to be prioritized by the algorithm.
“This indicates that users are not selecting from a neutral pool of information,” she wrote. “But instead, they are navigating a political landscape that is already structured by rankings and personalized predictions.”
May goes on to clarify not everyone’s social media feed is susceptible to this sort of polarization. Nonetheless, those who get lost in the algorithm’s cycle inherit the same passion expressed by figures like Steven Crowder and Hasan Piker, who are Republican and Democratic, respectively. Both men have gained over a billion views on their respective channels because they create the same kind of spiteful, rage-filled content that argues nothing but how terrible their enemies are.
No opinions can be discussed. No challenge is allowed. Everything is black and white. Instead of acting as a global forum for learning, the internet as we know it more closely resembles a screaming match: nothing meaningful is gained from engagement, but it sure does feel good.
When I asked Nicolene, a first-year neuroscience major, on how she reacteds to this sort of content being recommended to her., she responded with a refreshingly simple answer:
“I don’t think people need to be shamed based on their beliefs. Their beliefs are right for them, and I know what I want just like them,.” she said.
This leads me to add another crucial detail perpetuating this issue: the people who actively seek out this sort of content long for emotional catharsis. In a world plagued with misinformation, it can be comforting to find a creator who claims they are as passionate about peace as you are. The validity of this person’s claims is irrelevant if there is an intimate connection being made with their audience.
We all want to believe the person talking behind the screen is just as concerned as we are. This is when your trust becomes vulnerable. Suddenly, it becomes easy to dismiss a concerned citizen’s opinion because it disrupts what you know to be true.
Naturally, this causes the ridiculed person to seek guidance or, perhaps, affirmation. Now we have entered a cycle: your ideas are dismissed, you seek affirmation, and then you become dismissive. All the while, the world keeps spinning as online bickering ensues.
In 2022, the Pew Research Center published a study on how Republicans and Democrats would describe each other. A large group of partisan voters were given a set of adjectives and asked to attribute them to the party they think fits best.
Overwhelmingly, the subjects associated the opposite party with negative adjectives. For example, 83 percent of Democrats polled said Republicans are more closed-minded, while 69 percent of Republicans said the same about Democrats.
Another group of voters was given the same task, but these voters described themselves as “leaning” towards a certain party. The results reveal a significant drop in negative viewership toward the other party.
Compared to 83 percent of partisan Democrats, 73 percent of left-leaning voters believe Republicans are more closed-minded than their opponents. The same applies to right-leaning voters: 52 percent of them, compared to 69 percent of partisan Republicans, claim the other side is more closed-minded.
This study reveals more than the reality of open-mindedness. It brings to light how modern media has changed the meaning of politics. For partisan groups and people, simply by association, you are assigned a label that cannot be changed, however for the uncommitted voters, there is more room for nuance and tolerance when you are around people as curious as you are.
Too many Americans base their assumptions about the opposing party on article titles, short clips, and secondhand analysis. What we should be doing as voters is to start conversations with real people instead of the vapid chamber of the comments section. Just like trying new foods, you can’t say you know what you’ve tasted when you’ve just read a review.
A great place to start healthy discourse is to become friendly with people who would otherwise be your political opponents. Because your life experience often shapes political views, we must share space with someone who has a drastically different life than ours. If we don’t, our scope of politics is no wider than a child’s. David Kahane, author of Symposium: Diversity & Civic Solidarity, suggests we adopt the idea of a “civic friendship.”
This involves finding a common understanding between you and your prospective friend. You both want the same outcome for our country; however, you see different ways of getting there.
Nowhere is this notion more apparent than at a campus like the University of Iowa. The modern college campus was designed to be a forum for open debate. Unfortunately, it has seemingly been replaced by the ever-growing digital landscape. Suddenly, debate seems like a waste of time.
It doesn’t have to be that way, though.
When you’re surrounded by thousands of students, each with their own lives and experiences, your ideas are not safe from challenge. This is the reality of politics. Behind every profile picture is a real person yearning for better leaders and a better life. When we recognize that, a brighter future doesn’t feel so unattainable.