Solutions forhealthier discourse
Speech‑preserving interventions, aligned with research, to reduce affective polarization while improving information quality and transparency.
Policy Snapshot
US polarization challenge
Social media’s engagement incentives amplify divisive content and reduce shared facts. Targeted transparency, literacy, and scoped accountability can rebalance incentives without censoring speech.
Why polarization grows
Mechanisms on social platforms
Algorithmic amplification
Engagement-optimized ranking isolates users into echo chambers and preferentially boosts emotionally charged content, intensifying in‑group loyalty and out‑group hostility.
Misinformation + AI deepfakes
Erodes a shared factual baseline and collapses cross‑group dialogue; synthetic media increases plausibility and scale of false claims.
What increases susceptibility
Vulnerabilities
Media literacy gaps
Low lateral‑reading skills and source verification increase reliance on biased or low‑credibility content, entrenching selective exposure.
Online disinhibition
Perceived anonymity lowers social inhibitions and raises incivility, making extreme views more common and contagious.
Policy gap
US efforts target symptoms, not incentives
Federal reforms remain constrained by legacy interpretations of Section 230, while state bills are narrow and geographically limited, focusing on minors. Neither adequately addresses the core economic incentive: engagement‑maximizing design that profits from polarization.
What we recommend
Seven policy recommendations
- 1
Narrow Section 230 immunity
Differentiate passive hosting from active curation to align responsibility with algorithmic amplification risks.
- 2
National media‑literacy framework
Establish a K‑12 baseline that scales beyond state pilots; standardize lateral reading and verification skills.
- 3
Default chronological feeds
Expand middleware access so users opt‑in to recommendations rather than defaulting to engagement optimization.
- 4
DSA‑style transparency
Mandate plain‑language disclosures and regular risk assessments for Very Large Online Platforms.
- 5
Researcher data access
Provide vetted researchers region‑ and cohort‑level access on feeds and ranking to enable accountability.
- 6
Scoped identity verification
Allow pseudonymity, but verify identities for high‑reach political content; limit reach of unverified accounts.
- 7
Integrate fact‑checking + notes
Pair expert fact‑checking with community annotations to strengthen shared context without suppressing speech.