How Political Opinions Change After Reading The Article

After Reading The Article How Political Opinions Change By Pärnamets

After reading the article "How Political Opinions Change" by Pärnamets and Van Bavel, respond to the following in 250 words or more: 1. What is "choice blindness" and how do the article's authors explain its significance to political opinions? 2. Take the ideas presented in the article into account. In an era of political polarization in the "new media environment" do you see polarization increasing, decreasing, something else? Explain.

Paper For Above instruction

Choice blindness is a psychological phenomenon whereby individuals fail to recognize that they have overlooked or even misrepresented their own choices. This occurs when people are unaware that the decision they believe they made is different from the one they actually made. In the context of the article "How Political Opinions Change" by Pärnamets and Van Bavel, choice blindness reveals how individuals can be led to accept or defend positions they previously opposed or disagreed with without realizing that they have altered their stance. This phenomenon highlights the flexibility of human beliefs and the influence of external cues on personal opinions. The authors argue that choice blindness is significant in political settings because it demonstrates that people's political preferences are often more malleable than they might acknowledge. It shows that, under certain conditions, individuals may be unaware of the shifts in their opinions, which has profound implications for understanding political persuasion, information consumption, and the persistence of polarization.

Considering the ideas presented in the article, the current era of political polarization, especially within the "new media environment," presents a complex picture. On one hand, social media platforms and digital echo chambers tend to reinforce existing beliefs and deepen divisions, which might suggest increasing polarization. Algorithms often curate content that aligns with users' preexisting opinions, creating a feedback loop that intensifies partisanship. On the other hand, the flexibility of opinions evidenced by choice blindness indicates that people's beliefs are susceptible to change when exposed to different viewpoints, even inadvertently. Therefore, despite the trends toward polarization, the malleability of opinions suggests that this division is not necessarily immutable. Instead, we might observe periods of both increased polarization due to selective exposure and, conversely, moments where polarization diminishes as individuals encounter diverse perspectives or are influenced by persuasive interventions. In conclusion, polarization in the "new media environment" may fluctuate, influenced heavily by how information is presented and consumed, and understanding psychological mechanisms like choice blindness can help explain these dynamics.

References

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