The United States of America becomes more politically divided every day. A big issue facing politics is the ever-increasing polarization of our modern political system. It is difficult to find a website or news station that doesn't hold some sort of political bias. This creates a major issue when it comes to understanding the things truly happening in our country, against the spin that the majority of our news services produce. Without true clarity behind the events happening in our country, we struggle to make an informed decision on the values we stand behind.
Social media has taken the issue of polarization and fuels the "fake news" and political bias like nothing has ever before. Many people in our country don't understand the strong political bias we see each day. For example, Facebook has precise algorithms that are used to produce the information we want to see. This shields our feed from differing political views that could help to produce a more accurate understanding of certain situations. This also propels the concept of confirmation bias. When we see something that has the same political view as our own, it strengthens our belief in that concept. We tend to believe that our beliefs are what is right, so we like to feel validated by new information. Facebook uses its algorithms because they know that you like to see something that makes you feel validated. However, this only perpetuates the problem because many people struggle to even look to a different side.
My biggest tip for avoiding this intense bias is to become aware of it. When you see a piece of information that seems like it could be stretching the truth, fact check. There are websites that search through news sites to find bias and spin and report on the truth behind what they are saying. You also need to become aware of the bias that you hold. This will help you to spot "fake news" even if it's something you agree with. It is important to see past the bias on the internet so you can have a better understanding of the world around you.
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