In person icon Polarization in the Digital Age: How Social Media Shapes Political Divides

Abstract

Social media has transformed political communication, shaping the ways citizens engage with information, express emotions, and form partisan identities. This panel explores how platforms, algorithms, and digital communication strategies contribute to affective polarization, deepening political divides and reinforcing partisan animosity. This panel highlights the evolving role of social media as a space for political communication, where misinformation, emotional amplification, and algorithmic curation interact to shape public discourse. By bridging insights from communication studies, political psychology, and computational social science, this discussion offers a deeper understanding of how online platforms structure political engagement and contribute to the digital amplification of polarization.

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