Bridging Divides

Bridging Divides

Social Media's Role in Fostering Constructive Political Discourse

In light of the run-up to the 2024 election season, it could be worthwhile for social media platforms to focus on becoming the arbiters of new public political discourse rather than magnifying the polarization known to prevail online.A lot of online polarization is driven by algorithmic biases that curate feeds from having interactions only with individuals that share a pre-existing view. People might still believe what they want, but they do so on the basis of informed discussion. For social media, this means recalibrating the algorithms so that users are exposed to more of a diversity of political views. Working to diversify their feeds is a useful way for social media sites to become conduits for the types of nuanced discussions that are important, and likely to change people’s views. By catering to a wide range of voices, social media can help users open their minds and see what people have to say.Then again, platforms ought to offer tools to encourage civility. Moderated forums where participants can debate opposing viewpoints civilly and fact-check prompts can give users an opportunity to weigh information more critically. By developing friendlier tools that encourage a culture of disagreement, social media companies could empower users to engage with one another respectfully, even across political boundaries.Social media companies should recognize the need to work with non-partisan organizations committed to cross-ideological engagement. Such partnerships that work to bring together different constituencies and increase dialogue between political communities, provide opportunities for platform companies to break down barriers to communication that can characterize political polarization.As the 2024 election approaches, it falls upon social media platforms to take proactive steps to depolarize discourse about politics. A dose of transparency could turn social media into a bulwark against partisan bias in editorial decision-making, reducing the echo chamber effect for those in the political minority. Exposure to different perspectives through sample rotations and other new content distribution tools could also help bring us together. And perhaps the most helpful tools will be those that help users engage respectfully with those whose political ideas they otherwise find abhorrent. Social media, in other words, needs to go from goaded to beacons – ensuring that political conversation on social media enriches rather than divides our democracy.