How the news media activate public expression and influence national agendas

We demonstrate that exposure to the news media causes Americans to take public stands on specific issues, join national policy conversations, and express themselves publicly—all key components of democratic politics—more often than they would otherwise. After recruiting 48 mostly small media outlets, we chose groups of these outlets to write […] Read more »

How social media fires people’s passions – and builds extremist divisions

Passionate feelings can lead to extreme divisions. pathdoc/Shutterstock.com Robert Kozinets, University of Southern California The people of the United States continue to learn how polarized and divided the nation has become. In one study released in late October by the Pew Research Center, Americans were found to have become increasingly […] Read more »