01
The Question
What do you mean by "the social media prism?
About This Conversation
We tackle social media's effect on political polarization with Dr. Chris Bail, author of Breaking the Social Media Prism, Duke professor, and director of the Polarization Lab. According to Dr. Bail, most of the population of America isn't actually polarized; social media only gives us that perception.
Chris Bail is Professor of Sociology and Public Policy at Duke University, where he directs the Polarization Lab. He studies political tribalism, extremism, and social psychology using data from social media and tools from the emerging field of computational social science. His widely acclaimed 2021 book, Breaking the Social Media Prism, was featured in the New York Times, the New Yorker, and described as “masterful,” and "immediately relevant" by Science Magazine.
Conversation Map
A guided path through the source-provided topic list for this episode.
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How vocal and extreme, social media users influence our view of political polarization
03
What do you mean by "the social media prism?"
04
Breaking the social media prism
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How to bring the moderates back to social media
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How future tech will shape our perception of politics
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Fake news - who shares it
08
How do we fix tech in order to crack this perception?
Recurring Questions
Recurring Question
"What books have had an impact on you?"
For Young Listeners
"What advice do you have for teenagers?"
Guest Bio
Author of "Breaking the Social Media Prism," Duke Professor, and Director of the Polarization Lab
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