Polarization and the Role of Digital Media

Abstract

Group polarization is a dangerous phenomenon developing in democratic societies. It occurs when extreme views arise inside a group after deliberation. This mechanism leads to strong fragmentation on political and social issues and, in certain cases, to extremism and fanaticism. How have the Internet and social media shaped group polarization? This article is a review about the current state of the art, referring particularly to Cass Sunstein’s works and mentioning many empirical studies about polarization on social media. Online polarization will be analysed at three different levels: individual, social, and technological.

Keywords

• polarization
• rhetoric
• political theory
• Sunstein