Media coverage of polarization itself can worsen polarization via descriptive norms

Evidence

One reason may be that media discussion about extreme polarization communicates descriptive norms to which people tend to conform87,172. In other words, hearing about a divided country causes people to believe that is the case and then follow suit. Researchers and practitioners studying polarization should be aware of the harm they may cause by enhancing perceptions of polarization and identify measures to mitigate these. — Rachel Hartman et al., Interventions to Reduce Partisan…, 76

Categorization

• SEED: Potential angle: the self-defeating critique of depolarization research — that researchers studying polarization may exacerbate it by publicizing its extent, a reflexive problem parallel to how media amplifies what it covers.
• QUESTION: This directly bears on the reading purpose — if researchers publicizing polarization worsen it, even successful intervention studies change the climate they measure, muddying benchmark comparisons.
• XREF: connects to: Polarization is both cause and consequence of echo chambers over time — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 483

Broader Connections

• Polarization is both cause and consequence of echo chambers over time #expands (0.75) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 483