Interest Groups and the Media

Today, American voters enjoy access to a veritable cornucopia of information about anything, including most especially the high-profile political events that have characterized life in the United States in recent years. Indeed, the combination of mainstream media outlets such as radio, television and the Internet together with opposing views from fringe media resources that espouse extremist views of all ilk have contributed to a flood of information that makes it challenging for the average voter to know what to believe. Moreover, American voters, like people everywhere, are creatures of habit so when they find a media resource they like and trust, they will likely avoid viewing other media sources, particularly those that disagree with them. This tendency can create an echo chamber that resonates the same beliefs time and again without regard for any underlying factuality (Weeks et al., 2019).

As a result, far too many Americans voters with little or no experience in the political realm or process beyond what they learn from the media are overly reliant on biased media resources to shape their views about what the country needs. In this regard, the editors of American Government point out that, [The] media develop a persons view of the world by presenting a perceived reality. What we see on a regular basis is our reality. Media can then set norms for readers and viewers by choosing what is covered or discussed (chap. 8.4).

When voters ignore alternative sources of information and rely exclusively on a single or a few media, it is little wonder that they become absolutely convinced of the legitimacy of their political views which brook no dissent. Unfortunately, this outcome is reshaping the political landscape to the point where Americans are highly polarized about issues of importance to the nations future. In the final analysis, the Age of Information should be renamed the Age of Disinformation to underscore the threat these trends represent to American democracy.

References

American Government, 1st ed. (n.d.). OpenStax. Retrieved from https://textbooks.whatcom.edu/ amgov/.

Weeks, B. E., Kim, D. H., Hahn, L. B., Diehl, T. H., & Kwak, N. (2019). Hostile Media Perceptions in the Age of Social Media: Following Politicians, Emotions, and Perceptions of Media Bias. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 63(3), 374392.