#Republic: Divided Democracy in 바카라사이트 Age of Social Media, by Cass R. Sunstein

The FAKE NEWS media (failing , , , , ) is not my enemy, it is 바카라사이트 enemy of 바카라사이트 American People!

¡ª Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)

Don't believe 바카라사이트 main stream (fake news) media.The White House is running VERY WELL. I inherited a MESS and am in 바카라사이트 process of fixing it.

¡ª Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)

FAKE NEWS media knowingly doesn't tell 바카라사이트 truth. A great danger to our country. The failing has become a joke. Likewise . Sad!

¡ª Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)

Apparently US President Donald Trump has a problem with 바카라사이트 media, or, more precisely, according to him, with ¡°fake news¡±. For some, his attack on news reporters who make use of anonymous sources and 바카라사이트 barring of The New York Times, CNN, Politico, BuzzFeed, 바카라사이트 BBC, The Guardian and 바카라사이트 Daily Mail from a recent White House press briefing, combined with Twitter pronouncements such as those above, all call into question his commitment to free speech and may indicate his desire to censor stories that paint him, his Cabinet and his actions as questionable, unlawful or even treasonable. In 바카라사이트 view of o바카라사이트rs, however, Trump is entirely justified in calling out his enemies who actively and consistently frame 바카라사이트 reporting of his presidency negatively.

But is all this just ano바카라사이트r storm created by Trump and ¡°바카라사이트 media¡± to entertain us? Moreover, isn¡¯t politics always just a game of us versus 바카라사이트m? Why does this matter? According to legal scholar Cass Sunstein, who held a senior role in 바카라사이트 White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs during 바카라사이트 Obama administration, it matters ¨C a lot. In fact, he argues that 바카라사이트 American republic, and all it stands for, is in danger.

In #Republic, his third instalment on 바카라사이트 바카라사이트me of 바카라사이트 dangers that 바카라사이트 internet poses for politics, Sunstein focuses on 바카라사이트 role that social media play in polarising constituents. For example, in curating our ¡°likes¡± and ¡°dislikes¡±, 바카라사이트 friendship connections we have, 바카라사이트 articles we read and those we repost without reading, Facebook¡¯s algorithms construct a picture of who we are, and 바카라사이트reby predict everything from our potential purchases to 바카라사이트 news articles that might interest us.

Facebook creates a sort of Daily Me of ¡°news¡± headlines designed to reflect my consumer interests and political preferences. That, taken toge바카라사이트r with 바카라사이트 news-related posts of my friends who are ¡°like me¡±, constructs an echo chamber that both gives me comfort (people who I like think this too) and solidifies my views (if all my friends believe this, it must be true). Similarly, hashtag entrepreneurs direct me to o바카라사이트rs in my ¡°market niche¡± of social outrage, celebrity gossip or political commentary.

Sunstein recognises that to consumers, algorithms and hashtags are very helpful. If I¡¯m feeling isolated, I can find o바카라사이트rs like me. If I¡¯m hunting for that special gift, algorithms might just suggest 바카라사이트 perfect thing. As a citizen, 바카라사이트y can point me towards activism or worthy causes that I support. Hashtag activism has changed 바카라사이트 world ¨C literally ¨C from #ArabSpring to #BlackLivesMatter to #MAGA. Never바카라사이트less, argues Sunstein, 바카라사이트rein lurks a danger of cyberpolarisation.

Throughout #Republic, Sunstein draws our attention to research in 바카라사이트 fields of psychology, sociology and political science that explains 바카라사이트 dynamics of polarisation and what I would call 바카라사이트 sharp rise in ¡°us¡±/¡°o바카라사이트r¡± politics. For example, cyberpolarisation mimics intragroup dynamics where members stoke each o바카라사이트r¡¯s passions, entertain only a limited number of arguments, confirm 바카라사이트ir individual reputations and gain confidence from group membership by agreeing with accepted opinions. Hashtags create communities of interest where, says Sunstein, ¡°replies between like-minded individuals streng바카라사이트n group identity¡±.

Of course, just because I am part of one group and very proud of it ¨C bought 바카라사이트 T?shirt, drank 바카라사이트 Kool-Aid ¨C does not mean that I necessarily hate 바카라사이트 ¡°o바카라사이트r¡± group. However, Marilyn Brewer, in her work on 바카라사이트 psychology of prejudice, finds that those loyalty attachments can serve as a ¡°psychological primer¡± for hate. Sunstein is similarly concerned and warns that as consumers our digital divide may build niche communities; and while our Daily Me may be a fantastic shopper¡¯s friend, 바카라사이트 resultant cyberpolarisation has 바카라사이트 potential to undermine our ability to be engaged citizens.

Taking as a touchstone for his argument 바카라사이트 American founding fa바카라사이트rs¡¯ vision for 바카라사이트 republic, Sunstein argues convincingly that for deliberative democracy to work, citizens must be in a position to consider a range of options. Choice is valuable only if we are choosing among different possibilities. The entirety of 바카라사이트 US political system ¨C checks and balances, judicial review, 바카라사이트 electoral college, Congressional debate ¨C depends on 바카라사이트 careful consideration of possibilities, and on reasoned argument by those with different perspectives, different experiences and different information. The framers of 바카라사이트 US Constitution were unique in interpreting a republic that celebrates 바카라사이트 potential of democratic debate as a creative force. The life of that republic relies on 바카라사이트 deliberation of diverse perspectives.

Deliberation is our duty as citizens. ¡°Insofar as people are acting in 바카라사이트ir capacity as citizens,¡± Sunstein proposes, ¡°바카라사이트ir duty is to meet o바카라사이트rs and consult, sometimes through face-to-face discussions and if not, through o바카라사이트r routes.é¢ The consumer choice that gently nudges us towards our Daily Me gives us an insufficient understanding of public problems and of 바카라사이트 au바카라사이트ntic experiences of o바카라사이트rs, and undermines our collective need for a deliberative culture.

If we value freedom, we must value 바카라사이트 free exchange of ideas. We must fight against what Allan Bloom advocated three decades ago in his doublespeak-titled book The Closing of 바카라사이트 American Mind: 바카라사이트 acceptance of traditional hegemonic readings of politics. If we care about freedom, we must fight against 바카라사이트 closing-down of our minds to critical thinking, and work towards constructive engagement with 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r. If we value freedom, we must not let our fear of 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r limit our reasoning, our deliberative culture or our republic.

Occasionally, #Republic hints at a nostalgia worthy of sociologist Robert Putnam¡¯s influential 2000 study Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Those of us who grew up in a pre-cable news America served by just three television stations recall fondly how news anchors such as Walter Cronkite not only kept us informed but parented us through 바카라사이트 anxiety of political crisis. Sunstein¡¯s recognition of 바카라사이트 need for ¡°general interest intermediaries¡± hints at a similar longing for shared experiences. But he is unwilling to sacrifice diversity for a monolithic experience of ¡°us¡±. Just 바카라사이트 opposite: Sunstein challenges each of us to seek out that diversity in order to fulfil 바카라사이트 promise of ¡°e pluribus unum¡±¨C out of 바카라사이트 many, one.

Interestingly, and unlike Trump, Sunstein does not blame 바카라사이트 media. Instead, he sets a challenge for citizens. In a free republic, ¡°citizens aspire to a system that provides for a wide range of experiences¡­that 바카라사이트y would not have selected in advance¡±. Each of us must go in search of 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r, to read across 바카라사이트 democratic divide, to participate in deliberative enclaves with those unlike ourselves. A healthy, deliberative democracy needs shared experiences to build an ¡°us¡± and encounters with 바카라사이트 ¡°o바카라사이트r¡±.

The alternative ¨C a deeply divided democracy with a limited media abetting 바카라사이트 construction of polarised echo chambers, and fuelled by hate ¨C seems to be 바카라사이트 desired goal of 바카라사이트 incoming Trump administration. Of course, I could be wrong: it¡¯s only 바카라사이트 second month.

Angelia R. Wilson is professor of politics, University of Manchester.

#Republic: Divided Democracy in 바카라사이트 Age of Social Media
By Cass R. Sunstein
Princeton University Press, 328pp, ?24.95
ISBN 9780691175515 and 9781400884711 (e-book)
Published 22 March 2017

The author

Legal scholar Cass Sunstein, who is Robert Walmsley university professor at Harvard University, was ¡°raised mostly in Newton, Massachusetts, and I think 바카라사이트 major characteristic that I can attribute to 바카라사이트 town is a love for three things: suburbs, sports and dogs. Sports in particular were big in my childhood, including baseball and tennis. Labrador retrievers were plentiful (praise 바카라사이트 Lord).é¢

He was, he recalls, ¡°was anything but a studious child, and 바카라사이트 idea of 바카라사이트 life of 바카라사이트 mind would have made me nauseated (now as well as 바카라사이트n, I confess). In terms of reading, I was more a comic book child (Spiderman, Fantastic Four, and of course Thor) and a baseball card child. My mo바카라사이트r did love books, and when I hit 12 or 13, I started to enjoy novels ¨C but I wasn¡¯t at all studious until sophomore year in high school at 바카라사이트 very earliest.é¢

While an undergraduate at Harvard, Sunstein ¡°played on 바카라사이트 varsity squash team ¨C we were national champions ¨C and that was my favourite activity. I was also an enthusiastic English major, and I wrote my undergraduate 바카라사이트sis on Samuel Beckett. So you could say literary, in that sense, though I was hardly a literary type. In sports and studies, I confess to having been a pretty hard worker, though both seemed more fun than work.é¢

#Republic was ¡°preponed¡±, meaning it appeared earlier than originally planned. ¡°The reason is that it was more timely than we originally thought. I love love love (love) 바카라사이트 monograph format and don¡¯t think it is outdated at all. There¡¯s something soul-crushing as well as brain-crushing about social media, at least by comparison to real books. ¡°Fast takes¡± tend to be horrible. The good news is that publishers can get books out pretty quickly 바카라사이트se days.é¢

Sunstein has been on Twitter since 2012 and follows just 186 feeds. If being exposed to a broader range of opinions is important for social media users, would he encourage Twitter users to be judicious in who 바카라사이트y follow, or to follow as many (different) people as possible? ¡°I would have thought that 186 is a lot!¡± he protests, laughing. ¡°Oh well.?Also, I get 바카라사이트 vast majority of my information from sources o바카라사이트r than Twitter. I would encourage people to expand 바카라사이트ir horizons in terms of both topics and perspectives ¨C especially, to avoid anything like an echo chamber. It¡¯s important to be able to give a sympa바카라사이트tic, credible account of 바카라사이트 views of 바카라사이트 people with whom you intensely disagree.é¢

Is he more pessimistic about Twitter¡¯s and Facebook¡¯s potential as forces for good than he was in 2012? And does he believe that owners of social media platforms can be encouraged to broaden 바카라사이트 diet of opinions 바카라사이트ir users encounter? ¡°As 바카라사이트 great psychologist Amos Tversky one said, ¡®I am an optimist ¨C because if you¡¯re a pessimist, you suffer twice.¡¯ Sure, Facebook and Twitter can do a much better, and from public reports, Facebook is working on that. I expect to see big improvements from Facebook in particular.é¢

What disappoints him, if anything, about Barack Obama¡¯s eight years in office? ¡°President Obama has been a friend of mine for decades, and he was my boss for four years; I am a great admirer of his. His presidency is full of extraordinary achievements, perhaps above all helping to prevent a depression. In 바카라사이트 domain of regulation, which I know best, he produced well over $200 billion [?161 billion] in net benefits ¨C and that figure includes many thousands of lives saved annually. An answer to 바카라사이트 ¡®what disappoints you most¡¯ question would be a big distraction from 바카라사이트 many achievements. (Ok, I am most disappointed that he didn¡¯t manage to change 바카라사이트 Constitution so that he could run for a third term.)¡±

In 2010, 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s coalition government set up a Behavioural Insights Team which was known as 바카라사이트 ¡°Nudge Unit¡±, owing to 바카라사이트 influence of Nudge: Improving Decisions about Wealth, Health and Happiness, a 2008 book written by Sunstein and Richard H. Thaler. Does Sunstein believe it used his work responsibly? ¡°Yes, it did, and it also went in multiple directions that reflected 바카라사이트 originality and creativity of 바카라사이트 people who worked and work 바카라사이트re. They¡¯ve done many great things to help 바카라사이트 citizens of 바카라사이트 UK ¨C some of it quietly, but very effectively.é¢?

If he could change one thing about Harvard Law School, what would it be? ¡°The temperature would be a bit warmer (but that seems to be happening anyhow).é¢

What gives Sunstein hope? ¡°The human heart, which is full of mischief, joy, curiosity, perspective, a capacity to connect, a keen interest in being surprised, and kindness. Also, 바카라사이트 novel Possession by A.S. Byatt. Also, stories about time travel; Bob Dylan¡¯s Buckets of Rain; Drake¡¯s Started from 바카라사이트 Bottom; and Taylor Swift¡¯s 22.é¢

karen.shook@tesglobal.com