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#Republic
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#Republic

Divided Democracy in the Age of Social Media

Cass R. Sunstein
Princeton UP, 2017

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Editorial Rating

8

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Recommendation

Lack of exposure to different viewpoints threatens informed choices and free societies, warns Cass R. Sunstein, legal scholar and former White House executive. He argues that although the internet enables people to share ideas, algorithms that curate what viewers see lead people into “prisons of their own design,” and foment polarization that threatens society’s capacity to self-govern. Sunstein focuses on why keeping people poorly informed poses a risk to democracy. His careful research and thoughtful presentation provide a much-needed contribution to scholarship on the web’s social impact.

Take-Aways

  • People naturally prefer opinions and positions that match their own predispositions.
  • Chance encounters with different points of view – online and in public – nourish a healthy democratic society.
  • Polarization occurs when too many people receive their opinions from too few places, thus reinforcing their pre-existing prejudices.

About the Author

Legal scholar Cass R. Sunstein, JD, served as administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs during the Obama administration. His other books include Can It Happen Here, The Cost-Benefit Revolution, Going to Extremes, On Freedom, How Change Happens and The World According to Star Wars.  

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