Title: Are Social Media Driving Political Polarization?
Headings: 
Politics Articles & More
Are Social Media Driving Political Polarization?
Battles rage on Facebook and Twitter—but their influence on real-world politics is subtler than you might think.
Do we live in “filter bubbles”?
How social media shape debate
Can we build social-media bridges?
Special Event: Bridging Differences
About the Authors
Lee de-Wit
Sander van der Linden
Cameron Brick
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Content: So, perhaps we need to start thinking about how to structure interactions between groups on social media so that conflict becomes less likely and cooperation becomes more possible. Social media companies need to do more themselves to counter online extremism and polarization by, for example, better regulating the political targeting of ads on their platforms. However, even in the absence of change in policy or on the sites themselves, there is a lot we can do as individuals to make social media less polarized. A distinctive feature of social media is the importance of social consensus cues or online endorsement (e.g., likes, shares). Some research shows that the presence of these distinctive social cues can actually trigger decisions to select news in a way that reduces selective political exposure. In other words, if a story has been upvoted or shared a million times, it is likely to burst your bubble, even when the content is not ideologically congenial. We can also try to cultivate a diverse network, extending beyond our immediate circles. It’s not necessarily a good thing that social media increase the volume of information that we receive from people whom we already know well. Rather, research suggests that even when we are not exposed to the “other side” directly, so-called “weak ties” (friends of friends, acquaintances) offer a degree of political diversity that might inspire more political moderation. Unfortunately, as the research we’ve discussed suggests, this diversity won’t necessarily lead to harmony, since you’re more likely to encounter strong emotional and moral language that could trigger negative partisan reactions.