fragmentation and extremism

An interesting article in the NY Times describes how "Internet
Scholars" are viewing small self-reinforcing groups on the Internet
as promoting extremism:

Saturday, June 2, 2001

(short quote from article by Alexander Stille)

"The discussion illustrated the phenomenon that Mr. Sunstein and
various social scientists have called 'group polarization' in which
like-minded people in an isolated group reinforce one another's
views, which then harded into more extreme positions...

To Mr. Sunstein, such polarization is just one of the negative
political effects of the Internet, which allows people to filter out
unwanted information, tailor their own news and congregate at
specialized Web sites that closely reflect their own views.
A 'shared culture,' which results partly from exposure to a wide
range of opinion, is important for a functioning democracy, he
argues. But as the role of newspapers and television news
diminishes, he wrote, 'and the customization of our communications
universe increases, soceity is in danger of fragmenting, shared
communities in danger of dissolving...."

__________ _______ _______
Joseph Pehrson

Boy!
We need to get Alexander Stille to show him how things don't work this
way. This list isn't, by any stretch of the imagination, unique in the type
of explosions we see here. They ALL seem to :)!
This type of 'group polarization' i see more on the outside with
presenting groups as one example which narrows and excludes all outside its
little group of conformity. It is this which has stifled "experimentation"
and individual exploration. The conformity now is to these little entities-
(labels are another one) . Ponds everywhere. (as in) The tarot card of
debauchery.

jpehrson@... wrote:

> An interesting article in the NY Times describes how "Internet
> Scholars" are viewing small self-reinforcing groups on the Internet
> as promoting extremism:
>
> Saturday, June 2, 2001
>
> (short quote from article by Alexander Stille)
>
> "The discussion illustrated the phenomenon that Mr. Sunstein and
> various social scientists have called 'group polarization' in which
> like-minded people in an isolated group reinforce one another's
> views, which then harded into more extreme positions...
>
> To Mr. Sunstein, such polarization is just one of the negative
> political effects of the Internet, which allows people to filter out
> unwanted information, tailor their own news and congregate at
> specialized Web sites that closely reflect their own views.
> A 'shared culture,' which results partly from exposure to a wide
> range of opinion, is important for a functioning democracy, he
> argues. But as the role of newspapers and television news
> diminishes, he wrote, 'and the customization of our communications
> universe increases, soceity is in danger of fragmenting, shared
> communities in danger of dissolving...."
>
> __________ _______ _______
> Joseph Pehrson
>
>

-- Kraig Grady
North American Embassy of Anaphoria island
http://www.anaphoria.com

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