4 ms·

Instinctively this seems like it could be a common cause Social Media getting big → larger perceived friend groups Social Media getting big → more polar

• mikeiz404 1y ago
  Yea or also: Social Media getting big → larger perceived friend groups Social Media getting big OR screen time increasing OR phones preferencing more limited forms of communication OR … → more polarization Maybe I missed it but it would have been helpful to know which confounds had been ruled out. It could be due to a change in the PEW polling or the polling questions staying the same but the definition of terms shifting over time which caused the perceived increase in polarization. Or even the researchers’ definition of polarization which was stated as an increase in people stably identifying as either liberal or conservative. It is worth noting the article did say the PEW polling is supposed to be a stable source of data.
• dominicrose 1y ago
  Social media is clearly a culprit. People say things on social media they wouldn't say directly to your face. It's normal to be shy in front of real people and shyness is a social feature not a bug. Even those who don't shy away from taboo topics, are more likely to be convincing in real life than with text. Less shyness = more differences of opinion expressed More convincing = less division