Coffee dates vs. the Media

We often place blame on those whom we disagree with. It is human nature to claim culpability lies with the “others” while abdicating any responsibility of our own. Such is true for the so-called “media bubbles” we now find ourselves entrenched in, plagued by tunnel-vision outside of which we can see no further than the first, likely the last, retweet of Fox News on our timeline that precedes a “block.” The country is more polarized now than it has ever been before. How 100 Senators, 320 million citizens, an entire nation, can interpret the same set of facts and come to vastly different conclusions is beyond comprehension.

Are these differences down to mere disagreement on policy? on morality? on faith? Or, as political commentators would have you believe, our “bubbles?” A recent study found that our personal interactions, coffee dates, breakfast, dinner, have double the impact on polarization than politically biased media. Has the bubble been popped? The article goes onto argue that the political divide is more nuanced and not as broad as many in the media perceive it to be. Many Americans consume a “centrist media diet,” rather than a slanted one, and “most Americans are fasting.” This is not to say that politically slanted media doesn’t have an effect on our national politics. “It might not be shaping the individual opinions of the vast majority of Americans, but the small percentage of highly polarized people are also the loudest, politically speaking, Nyhan said.” This political noise then translates to real-life conversations where the real polarization happens. To read more on this topic, click here.