From Fake News to Facebook: The Problems with the Media in an Age of Political Polarization

In the last decade, the American political system has witnessed growing political and ideological polarization among the American public on a range of issues. Ideological polarization has made compromise unlikely and gridlock commonplace. While there are many factors which have contributed to this climate, political polarization is driven in part by the growing reliance on social media outlets for political information and the mainstream press which dramatizes information to retain profits. While there are many factors which have contributed to this climate, political polarization is driven in part by the growing reliance on social media outlets for political information and the mainstream press which dramatizes information to retain profits. This seminar will address the problem of political polarization, the structural problems of the mainstream media, and some of the implications of social media for American democracy.