Social Media Vs American Politics: Dividing Us and Misinforming Us Now Worse Than Ever

I'm going to take a negative stance on the role of technology in politics: while technology has clearly connected us and transmitted knowledge around the world at breakneck speed, its ability to misinform and divide has contributed to the United States' increasingly contentious politics.

Photo by Darren Halstead on Unsplash

Technology has surely helped link individuals in previously unknown ways. For example, in the 1800s, a politician might only engage with his constituents once in a while when he came into town. Politicians (or at least their workers) can now tweet directly to constituents, send mass emails to their following, and so on.

This, however, is a double-edged sword. Consider how simple it is to misinform people today - look at controversial discussion forums about conspiracies and notice how much information is spread with little basis in fact.

The anonymity of the Internet has been a boon in many ways, but it has also been a curse: anyone can now put up a blog and pass oneself off as an expert. Consider the Food Babe controversy: she uploads a slew of easily disproved stories, but she and her followers have been able to persuade corporations to change ingredients with no scientific or factual foundation.

Consider the media 30 years ago, when it was dominated by local news, national news, and printed news, practically all of which had their necks on the line if they mislead. Today, however, we see the rise of "news" sources such as Gawker media's websites or even Buzzfeed, which is increasingly discussing the news. What are their journalistic credentials? What is their editing process? Is it even investigative news, or are they regurgitating information from anonymous sources and passing it off as fact?

Consider how Dan Rather was brought down for conveying a fraudulent story, or, more recently, Brian Williams for lying on air. Compare that to the recently debunked Rolling Stone UVA rape case: the author will not be prevented from writing for Rolling Stone, no editors will be sacked, and so on. I'm sure it didn't hurt that the article received more clicks than any other non-entertainment-related article in their history.

Sure, the Internet has provided us with a wealth of information, much of it more accurate than before, but it is quickly being overshadowed by disinformation.

I recall reading a book called The Big Sort that stated that during the last 40 years, the United States has transitioned from a politically evenly dispersed country to one that is increasingly polarized. Previously dispersed across the country, college graduates have now concentrated in a few big cities/urban hubs. In the 1970s, landslides accounted for only 25% of municipal elections; today, they account for more than 50% of elections.

Technology undoubtedly contributes to this, as highly politicized local issues increasingly receive national attention. Previously, states and local groups could pursue relatively independent policies without regard for what others thought; however, they are increasingly subject to the scrutiny of others and the debates that accompany it.

As a result, state politics are becoming increasingly entwined with national politics. As a California resident, I recall growing up when the Republican Party in California was still a viable party; today, it's impossible to win as a Republican in California, especially with a GOP program matched with their counterparts in other states, lest they be labeled RINOs.

The same is true for Democrats in other states - being a conservative Democrat used to be possible in many areas. However, if you are a Democrat who opposes abortion rights - even if you are sincerely representing your constituents - have fun dealing with the national response.

Finally, I believe that one of the most interesting criticisms of modern politics is that we are increasingly motivated by sound bites. People have lamented this when they see the Huntsmans and Ron Pauls of the world shut down in primaries while the Palins and others gain air time.

So, while I believe technology has absolutely aided in the education of many individuals, many of those people were always going to find knowledge in some form or another. Instead, the main issue has been the amount of misinformation out there, which has been consumed by the masses, and the fact that it has further enabled today's polarized politics.