Political polarization and tribalism are on the rise, and social media appears to be the chief culprit. The ability to customize our social media feeds to only hear the voices we want to hear has lead us into echo chambers of increasingly one-sided viewpoints and unchecked misinformation – at least, that’s what cultural wisdom suggests. But is that actually true? What actually happens when people step outside their “echo chambers”? Is information really the driving force behind the rise of political polarization, radical viewpoints, and extreme behavior on social media? Or, as secular sociologist Chris Bail and Christian philosopher James K.A. Smith both argue, are our behaviors and actions driven by something deeper than simply what we think – and how does the Gospel give the church an advantage in addressing polarization?
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“Forget the Echo Chamber – Social Media is a Prism” on FaithTech.
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