#polarization

#polarization

Donald Trump seems to have come back from the future. From that dystopian and bleak tomorrow toward which some seek to lead us, taking advantage of the growing polarization and the prevalence of emotions over rationality. From that digital realm characterized by the rise of social media, now made stronger and more chaotic by the explosion of generative artificial intelligence. Ezra Klein recently discussed this on his podcast with the journalist and activist Masha Gessen.

Universities were once celebrated as places where ideas could be challenged, debated, and refined. Classrooms were meant to be arenas for civil discourse -spaces where disagreement was not only tolerated but valued. Yet that ideal is under strain. Divisions between social and political groups have deepened, and polarization-especially in the U.S.-has reached historic levels. Many instructors now hesitate to invite disagreement for fear that conversations will spiral into conflict. But learning depends on dialogue. And dialogue depends on difference.

We've mistaken expression for impact, conflating social media dust-ups with actual power. We've neglected the unglamorous work that holds societies together: governing, problem-solving, and cooperating across differences. My research shows that real change happens not in viral TikToks but in drab meeting rooms - the phones-down, notebooks-out work of local governance. It's there that we make progress and bridge divides.

When a rival lies or cheats, we demand justice. But when a friend does, we offer excuses. Equally, we believe our team plays by the rules while others bend them. Yet honesty depends on the messenger. When someone from our in-group bends the truth, we call it strategic, but when the out-group does it, we call it deceit. In a modern era of algorithmic bubbles, deep fakes, and partisan feeds, the cost of this bias grows.

Yesterday, at 5:46PM, the Senate rejected a cloture vote on the Democratic continuing resolution, which in addition to funding government, would extend healthcare support and prohibit impoundment. It was a party line vote. Yesterday, at 6:41PM, the Senate rejected a cloture vote on the Republican continuing resolution. Three Democrats voted with 52 Republicans in favor: Catherine Cortez Masto John Fetterman Angus King Rand Paul voted with Democrats against. And so, at midnight, nonessential functions of the Federal government started to shut down.

Many people are concerned about the rise in authoritarianism and autocracy globally. These political structures create a climate of fear, uncertainty, and stress. Authoritarian regimes can quickly dismantle programs that benefit people and the environment, leaving citizens disempowered and more vulnerable to environmental degradation. Understanding the psychology of authoritarianism supports the mental clarity needed for resisting, fostering well-being, and imagining and building sustainable futures.

I agree with Berners-Lee's diagnosis. But regulation is not the cure. The web's decline is not merely a design failure; it is also an economic one. Design choices follow incentives, and those incentives have been distorted by fiat money and the advertising model it props up. Cheap credit from the fiat-fuelled venture capital system pushed Silicon Valley away from hacker-led engineering and toward surveillance-driven profit extraction.

If, say, you're a highly partisan Republican, you will often look at corruption and acts of violence by your partisan opponents and say, That's just what the left does or That's what leftism leads to. Corruption and violence reveals the left's true nature. If a right-leaning extremist commits an act of violence or if a Republican is brazenly corrupt then the response is different.

It's impossible to ignore the tension in the air right now. Acts of political violence, heated debates, and deepening division leave many of us feeling bewildered, frustrated, and even helpless. In times like these, our instinct can be to double down on our perspective or point fingers outward. One of the drivers of polarization is the sense that acknowledging another group's struggles somehow diminishes our own. Humility, if we are open to it, offers another path.

Erika Stael von Holstein, 41, has been advising European institutions on science, technology, society, and democracy for two decades. She's the founder and director of Re-Imagine Europe, a think tank focused on depolarization. The Stockholm-born advisor has also promoted Nodes.eu, a European observatory of narratives against disinformation. Von Holstein is a member of the expert council on artificial intelligence convened by the Spanish government. This work brought her to Madrid, where she met with EL PAIS.

The H-word is an emotionally charged vehicle of hate. The more we say it, the more we do it.

The same way MAGA played with the prejudices of white nationalism, you're seeing an identical dynamic on the left with prejudices like tacitly supporting extreme Islamism or targeting Jews.