Who’s to blame for the
polarized political scene causing an inefficient Washington…elected officials
or today’s news consumers?
News habits differ greatly
among the political spectrum.
Polarized parties could perhaps
be the greatest
contributor to inefficiency in Washington. The public’s tendency to click
on articles reflecting their personal bias only fuels this polarized
system.
Americans tend to point
fingers at elected officials in Washington for not comprising with leaders
of the opposing party.
But, are those pointing
just as guilty?
The Pew
Research Center has done extensive research exploring a correlation between
political polarization and American’s online behavior. Sites frequently visited for news, reveal a
good bit about where someone lies on the political spectrum.
It’s easy to blame the media
for only presenting biased news. Yet, the media industry technically lays a
solid spread on the table for Americans to pick and choose from. The biased
media outlets actually take the lead in ratings and profits. Americans appear
to have an economic
preference for like-minded news. Consequently, biased media sources gain more attention and
subscribers on average.
Sitting centerfold is often
seen as the non-risky, politically correct spot to be. But in this digital
age, the center may be the riskier move for media profitability.
A
one-sided, stubborn attitude is becoming characteristic of an “American identity”. We pick a side and run with it.
Politics provide the perfect platform for an ideologically stubborn identity to
thrive…and destroy any hope of compromise while doing so. It comes as no
surprise that diplomatic compromise seems almost out of the picture in
America’s two-party system.
Could my decision to
frequent the same papers and networks actually be contributing to the
inefficiency in Washington?
Research supports this
scary, yet highly possible connection.
Political polarization is
linked to people’s information environment. Essentially, their news sources and
social media accounts. News outlets that lean to one side are simply more
profitable in this day and age.
Variance occurs in regards
to their ‘trust rating’. For example, conservatives only showed 14% trust in
left-leaning sources like CNN, but 88% in the conservative giant Fox. With an increasing
gap between ideological preferences, each side looks to the other as an enemy.
CNN and
Fox News had a high trust rating overall, representing the centrist
majority in America – often overshadowed by polarized politicians and biased
news consumers.
Tony
Dokoupil of NBC news told The Week in
an interview a few years ago that "at
the center of national sentiment there's no longer a chasm but a common ground
where a diverse and growing majority — 51 percent — is bound by a surprising
set of shared ideas.”
Four
years have passed since Dokoupil’s statement. So why does America find itself more
polarized than ever? Technological development is keeping pace quickly with
the growing political divide.
Access to
hundreds of news article, social media, the blogosphere, etc. at the click of a
button presents Americans with a choice. The choice to either absorb
information from sites that prop up their preconceived beliefs, or to explore
the other side.
Developments
in this digital age should educate opposing views through a new information
environment. A politically educated public is possible.
Americans hesitation
to want oneness
and sameness is evident in the public’s struggle to work together in a respectful
and positive environment. Our leaders are not leading by example. A continued
lack of diplomacy in our politics could lead to a more divided, less efficient
America.
However,
the rise of the digital age presents a new argument in favor of the congressman. Mr. Congressman has credible reasons to point
back at the American public in blaming the political divide.
Consumers should attempt a cognitive
effort to consume news from both sides of the political spectrum. The party
divide will only grow if citizens do not take responsibility for hearing both
sides of each political argument before forming a concrete opinion.
Who knows? Maybe America’s political
leaders will take a hint from the public.
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