THE INTERNET: A Revolutionary, New Dimension of Polarisation

Although offline polarisation has been around for as long as recorded history, the rise in internet access and social media usage over the last ten to fifteen years has culminated in the new phenomenon of online polarisation. Because of the radically changed online nature of society these days, online polarisation is more prevalent and feeds heavily into what happens offline. The internet has changed a lot of how society functions. Therefore, one should not distinguish fully between online and offline polarisation, but rather see them as intertwined, impacting each other in both directions.

We identify four factors that make online polarisation a revolutionary, new dimension to this age-old phenomenon:

ECHO CHAMBERS AND SELECTIVE EXPOSURE

Echo chambers provide a space in which we constantly hear our own convictions being bounced back to us on repeat, without any form of thought-provoking criticism. Although this isn’t an online phenomenon exclusively (echo chambers can develop in neighbourhoods or schools for example), their existence has grown rapidly since the introduction of the internet and social media. Social media platforms often function on a business model that sucks people into an echo chamber, and in doing so revealing to us that, often, people do not want to hear opinions that conflict with their own. 

By isolating oneself in an echo chamber, either consciously or subconsciously, we can bring about selective exposure. Generally speaking, we like to surround ourselves with like-minded people, as that makes us feel safe and part of a tribe. As such, it provides us with the comfort of having clear-cut distinctions between friends and foes. This want for safety and tribal aspects builds on the concept of identity discussed above.

A person who adheres to selective exposure tends to avoid content that is of a different perspective or challenges their own position, only focusing on media that aligns with their views. Effectively, selective exposure arises as a result of the individual’s actions, whether they are aware they are doing so or not. This, in turn, can feed into the further growth of echo chambers.

FILTER BUBBLES AND ALGORITHMS

Building on this, echo chambers are exacerbated by the algorithms used on social media channels, which are known to cause filter bubbles, a term coined by Eli Pariser in his book The Filter Bubble: What the Internet is Hiding From You. Filter bubbles differ from echo chambers as they specifically involve algorithms, whereas echo chambers do not necessarily have to. 

The algorithms used in the architecture of social media are what make us believe that we are in groups of like-minded people, and thus can promote one’s desire to share only a particular set of views that will be approved by these people. In turn, this creates a feedback loop and can push polarisation even further. As they prevent opposing views and opinions from being seen by individuals, algorithms create a false belief that our views are always true and held by a majority.

Breaking the bubbles and the algorithms is not easy to do, as social media companies play on the human instinct that attributes one’s identity. When you are in a filter bubble, it is not only about hearing your own thoughts and feelings echo, but also about being exposed to the worst part of your adversaries. You only click on the headlines that have an emotional reaction to you, enabling you to dehumanise people as you only see the worst of their ideas and actions. As such, filter bubbles and algorithms are worsening the situation; it is difficult to find common ground when you only see the worst of your adversaries.

FAKE NEWS

Individuals can be easily exploited through disinformation. It is emotional messaging, playing on an individual's  identity and pre-established narratives. In recent years, the use of disinformation has grown more serious in the form of ‘fake news’: false information that’s created purely for financial gain or political destabilisation. Since the rise of social media, we have seen a stark rise in fake news, originally posted by media outlets and then disseminated across the Internet via bots and trolls using fake social media profiles, as well as by individuals unaware that what they are sharing is untrue. Politicians have even started to use the term ‘fake news’ to describe comments and news stories that they just do not like or do not agree with themselves.

The creator of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, pinpoints disinformation on the web as one of the greatest challenges of all time. It is through this spread of stories by the media and individuals that fake news is able to manipulate political opinion and divide societies further.

THE DOWNSIDES OF ACCESSIBILITY

The internet has given a platform to almost everyone, enabling every imaginable opinion and piece of information to be found somewhere online. While, on the positive side, this has allowed civil movements across the world to organise themselves more effectively, this mass accessibility also came with two downsides.

To start, the ability to create anonymous user profiles has made it quite easy to post harsh opinions on the internet, with little to no repercussions. These individuals are hard to trace and it is difficult to hold them responsible for the potential damage done by their messages. Furthermore, the users are unable to see the impact they have on others by expressing harsh or hateful opinions. As a result, people tend to be more extreme online than they may be offline.

Second of all, with the rise of the internet, especially with such easy access to it from smartphones, we see that our overall attention span is decreasing, causing a shrinking willingness to engage in longer debates that would allow participants to be confronted with more pluralistic and nuanced perspectives. Social media in particular is designed to play on triggering short attention spans from people, exploiting these specific instincts that we, as humans, have.