Societies go through cycles of polarization. It would be hard to say that we are more polarized today than we were in 1968, for example.
But the prevalence of social media makes it much easier to be confronted by those differences or, paradoxically, to ignore those differences by only reading things you agree with. So, the bigoted uncle that had little way to communicate his hatred 40 years ago now has a forum where he can not just communicate, but be praised for it.
But insularity has always been widespread. There were those who were surprised when Nixon won the presidency because everyone they knew voted against him.
The machines aren't programming us. We are programming each other. And that is a process that goes back through recorded history.
But the prevalence of social media makes it much easier to be confronted by those differences or, paradoxically, to ignore those differences by only reading things you agree with. So, the bigoted uncle that had little way to communicate his hatred 40 years ago now has a forum where he can not just communicate, but be praised for it.
But insularity has always been widespread. There were those who were surprised when Nixon won the presidency because everyone they knew voted against him.
The machines aren't programming us. We are programming each other. And that is a process that goes back through recorded history.
