Just looking at the recent op-eds in The Cavalier Daily, it is clear how dominant the election is. Inevitably, this discussion finds its way onto social media. People do not go onto social media for political opinions — they get uncomfortable. It is very tempting to just unfollow that one person who always sparks political debates on social media. Don’t do it. He might be annoying, but there is a value in exposing yourself to different political opinions on social media.
There is a real danger of social media creating an echo chamber. By echo chamber, I mean an environment in which only ideas you already agree with are posted, reinforcing your preconceived notions. Creating an echo chamber is the natural inclination of people in any social situation — we don’t like conflict, we like affirmation.
There are two significant benefits to exposing yourself to opposing views. First, it can make you refine your own views, even if you totally disagree with the other person. An unchallenged view is often an undeveloped view, and so opposition can help strengthen a person’s own political views. Second, it can show you are wrong. It is hubris in the extreme for anyone to assume they are totally informed or right in all of their own political opinions. Living in an echo chamber does not make your views any more right than anyone else’s. These might be common observations, but the fact that people still continue to unfollow others solely based on their political opinions shows the points are worth repeating.
It is also important not to expunge political posts from social media because we are desperately in need of understanding. The country is disastrously partisan. No more is this clearer than in the presidential election where we have candidates saying wildly different things and calling for the opposition to be deported. Democrats and Republicans alike have painted the other party’s candidate as the antithesis of everything they believe in. At the very least, allowing for political discussions on social media lets people see the arguments of the other side. They may disagree with them, but hopefully reading people’s arguments will help create more understanding.
Some people may wonder why social media must be made political, when there are so many other ways to be exposed to political discussions. The problem is other sources of political discussions are often more effective echo chambers than social media can ever be. On social media a person can choose their friends or the people they follow, but they cannot control what they post. This adds a level of uncertainty that can expose people to new ideas. News sites and radio shows are much easier to filter. It has been proven people generally only read news sources that align with their own political views. Republicans will generally go to Fox News for their news and Democrats will go to CNN — neither group is being challenged.
There is no magic bullet to fix the partisanship and political apathy of many Americans. I don’t think tolerating political posts on social media will create a sweeping change on its own. And I also want to be clear that I am not encouraging people never to block someone on social media because of political posts they make. If a post is bullying or abusive, there’s no reason to expose yourself to that. Still, cutting off opposing sources of information is a significant symptom of our current political problems, and can be easily fixed. Not blocking people could do nothing, and then people would just have to scroll a tiny bit more past political posts. But it could also create positive change, and that’s worth a little annoyance.
Bobby Doyle is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at b.doyle@cavalierdaily.com.
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