<p>Politics feels angrier, harsher and more tribal than it used to - but how much of the blame can be laid at the door of social media?</p><br><p>Rafael Behr talks to NYU Psychologist Professor Jay Van Bavel, about how our ancient group instincts collide with 'god-like' digital technology to distort what we see, reward outrage, and erode trust in democratic institutions.&nbsp;</p><br><p>Drawing on datasets of millions of social media posts, Professor Van Bavel discusses how; a tiny minority can dominate the online political conversation; platforms can make people seem more extreme, and silence the moderate voices. He also discusses what can be done about it; from redesigning incentives and rebuilding solidarity across group lines; to the small, practical choices individuals can make to resist the pull of performative moral outrage.</p><br><p><strong>Jay Van Bavel's professional website - with links to academic papers</strong></p><br><p>https://www.jayvanbavel.com</p><br><p><strong>Inside the funhouse mirror factory: How social media distorts perceptions of norms</strong></p><br><p>https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352250X24001313</p><br><p><strong>How to strengthen democracy</strong></p><br><p>https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2022/08/how-to-strengthen-democracy</p><br><p><strong>Heineken Advert</strong></p><br><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3a8MdloAAM&amp;themeRefresh=1</p><br><p><br></p><p><br></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>