Tag Archives: polarized interest groups

Digital Media A Factor in Ferocity of Political Campaigns

*MU researcher finds negative language inspires further viciousness*

A University of Missouri study of recent political blogs indicates politics are getting nastier due to digital media, which are segmenting people into polarized interest groups. The researcher recommends a balanced approach to finding information in order to return civility to political discourse, which is at the heart of democracy.

“One side is going to lose in every political discussion,” said Ben Warner, associate professor of communication in the MU College of Arts and Science. “The danger with this open hostility found in digital media toward the other side in politics is that it undermines the legitimacy of the people that we disagree with politically. It’s important to recognize that people who disagree with you aren’t ‘evil’ or ‘trying to destroy America;’ they just have different perspectives.” (more…)

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