Polarization in the contemporary political and media landscape

• Published in: Current opinion in behavioral sciences Vol. 34; pp. 223 - 228
• Main Authors: Wilson, Anne E, Parker, Victoria A, Feinberg, Matthew
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2020
• ISSN: 2352-1546; 2352-1554
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2020.07.005

•Affective polarization (political animosity) is rising in America and cannot be fully explained by ideological polarization.•People’s misperceptions of the ideological divide (false polarization) may better account for intensifying partisan dislike.•Political elites are increasingly polarized, and partisan media and social media also select for polarizing content.•Institutional polarization (political elite, media, social media) may fuel partisan false polarization and animosity.•Political and media landscape shapes partisan misperceptions contributing to a self-fulfilling cycle of rising polarization. Political polarization is on the rise in America. Although social psychologists frequently study the intergroup underpinnings of polarization, they have traditionally had less to say about macro societal processes that contribute to its rise and fall. Recent cross-disciplinary work on the contemporary political and media landscape provides these complementary insights. In this paper, we consider the evidence for and implications of political polarization, distinguishing between ideological, affective, and false polarization. We review three key societal-level factors contributing to these polarization phenomena: the role of political elites, partisan media, and social media dynamics. We argue that institutional polarization processes (elites, media and social media) contribute to people’s misperceptions of division among the electorate, which in turn can contribute to a self-perpetuating cycle fueling animosity (affective polarization) and actual ideological polarization over time.