The issues and ideas that mattered most to Americans in 2020
Google's "Year in Search 2020" results reveal a year when "why" was searched more than ever.
Credit: Google
The year of coronavirus
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk1ODk0OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MzA5NzI1OH0.vimp4BokTC01Fl9fIWkplEKWdHpO6aX-TSFdnmzynMc/img.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0&height=700" id="64208" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a78d75a3c2cc81a2b421296fdd831f89" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1245" data-height="700" />Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller receives the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
<p>In any other year, an <a href="https://bigthink.com/politics-current-affairs/coronavirus-questions" target="_self">outbreak of a novel coronavirus</a> strain—such as SARS and MERS—would have been a story tucked into the Science and Health section. In 2020, it was the issue that mattered most. The term "coronavirus" saw the second-largest increase in searches in the U.S., behind only "election results." Worldwide, it was number one.</p><p>Those entries, however, don't reflect coronavirus's hold over the year. The pandemic infected nearly every category in Google's annual analytics. People needed to know about <a href="https://bigthink.com/coronavirus/covid-symptoms-sequence" target="_self">coronavirus symptoms</a> and keep up-to-date on the virus's spread. Trending news terms included "stock market," "<a href="https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/us-government-digital-transformation-woes" target="_self">stimulus check</a>," and "<a href="https://bigthink.com/coronavirus/job-seekers-coronavirus" target="_self">unemployment</a>," all driven by the dire economic straits the pandemic plunged the U.S. into this March. And top word searches ensured "pandemic," "quarantine," and "asymptomatic" would become commonplace in our national word-stock.</p><p>Coronavirus widened the country's already intractable polarization, revealed its <a href="https://bigthink.com/Northwell-Health/health-disparities-coronavirus" target="_self">devastating health gaps</a>, and, as of this writing, has killed nearly 300,000 Americans. <a href="https://bigthink.com/coronavirus/covid-brain-damage" target="_self">The potential long-term effects</a> faced by <a href="https://bigthink.com/coronavirus/covid-19-survivors" target="_self">America's 15 million COVID-19 survivors</a> are unknown but <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects.html#:~:text=Respiratory%3A%20lung%20function%20abnormalities,difficulty%20with%20concentration%2C%20memory%20problems" target="_blank">may include complications</a> of the cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurological systems.</p><p>While <a href="https://bigthink.com/coronavirus/russia-claims-worlds-first-covid-19-vaccine" target="_self">Russia announced the world's first COVID-19 vaccine</a> in August, those claims were scientifically dubious. Since then, more rigorously tested vaccines have been <a href="https://bigthink.com/coronavirus/uk-covid-vaccine" target="_self">green-lighted in the United Kingdom</a> and the United States, and both countries have <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/14/health/us-coronavirus-monday/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">begun administering it</a> to high-risk populations and front-line workers. However, the vaccine's effectiveness and how <a href="https://bigthink.com/coronavirus/coronavirus-vaccine" target="_self">readily it will be available</a> to everyone remains to be seen. For its first few months, at least, 2021 may be the pandemic sequel no one asked for.</p>The new national pastime
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk1ODk1NC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNzc5MzQ3M30.sfNgt_x0PrynD5Brdku6L045lxOuU7PVYw3n9598Dlk/img.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0&height=700" id="82bbe" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3e30b2180da0cd13e0f6a011d006ae1f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1245" data-height="700" />The Electoral College recently cemented Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election. Congress is scheduled to confirm the votes on January 6, 2021.
<p>Thanks to an anemic baseball season, politics became not just America's new pastime but the world's. The U.S.'s number one trending search term was "election results," and it was number two globally. Politicians became popular search terms, too, with "Joe Biden," "Kamala Harris," and "Pete Buttigieg" leading the pack. And coronavirus-related changes to <a href="https://bigthink.com/politics-current-affairs/states-easy-voting" target="_self">traditional voting methods in many states</a> propelled Americas to google about early voting, how to vote, and where they could vote.</p><p>While <a href="https://bigthink.com/politics-current-affairs/most-contentious-election-in-american-history-1876" target="_self">American politics have been contentious</a> more often than not, the 2020 election proved fraught, vitriolic, all-encompassing, and seemingly everlasting. The <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2020/08/13/important-issues-in-the-2020-election/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">political parties sparred over issues</a> such as the economy, immigration, violent crime, racial inequality, climate change, and, of course, the incumbent's response to the coronavirus. The September passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg added another ideological melee into the larger political fray, and the entire process was <a href="https://bigthink.com/politics-current-affairs/election-results" target="_self">further complicated by social media</a> and the debate over <a href="https://bigthink.com/politics-current-affairs/social-media-2020-us-election" target="_self">its culpability in the spread of false information</a>.</p><p>Worse, for many, the usual avenues of escape and mental decompression were barricaded by pandemic restrictions and mandates.</p><p>This national drama, which normally would have ended on Super Tuesday, entered its third act with a protracted vote count. As critical battleground states slowly tallied the influx of mail-in ballots, "who is winning the election" quickly became one of Google's most searched for questions of the year. The answer was determined to be challenger Joe Biden, bringing a decisive end to one of 2020's most challenging moments.</p><p>Kidding! In an unprecedented move, incumbent Donald Trump claimed the results were fraudulent and has (as of this writing) refused to concede. He and his legal team have <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/trump-s-election-fight-includes-over-30-lawsuits-it-s-n1248289" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">filed more than 50 lawsuits</a> to contest the results, most of which have been shot down as frivolous. For the record: There has been <a href="https://apnews.com/article/barr-no-widespread-election-fraud-b1f1488796c9a98c4b1a9061a6c7f49d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">no evidence of widespread fraud</a> in the election.</p><p><a href="https://bigthink.com/videos/abolish-the-electoral-college" target="_self">The Electoral College</a> has since <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-270-electoral-college-vote-d429ef97af2bf574d16463384dc7cc1e" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cemented Joe Biden's victory</a>, and it looks like this is one 2020 contention that we can safely put behind us come New Year's. Kidding, kidding! A cohort of <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/huddle/2020/12/02/the-gops-electoral-mischief-491033" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Republican lawmakers has proposed challenging the Electoral College votes</a> when Congress convenes to confirm them on January 6. Sigh.</p>Livin' in virtual insanity
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk1ODk1Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MzMxNjUyOX0.x-ttrIxjl9_LfCN9GNNGy5ZocwjtsUYd0kZN--Yeut4/img.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=0%2C345%2C0%2C345&height=700" id="4e759" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="dc71bbeb7cd9423709008b3bd8ab2b23" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1245" data-height="700" />New York students returned to school for in-person learning this December.
<p>Conspicuously absent from Google's "Year in Search 2020" are the usual events and happenings. With Americans forced to shelter-in-place and events canceled under pandemic restrictions, we've transitioned to a year of virtual living.</p><p>"Zoom" entered the top trending searches at number six, and "virtual" became a trending category. Many of the year's <a href="https://bigthink.com/Charles-Koch-Foundation/emergency-remote-learning-vs-online-education" target="_self">virtual inquiries related to education</a> and student enrichment—with "virtual field trips," "virtual museum tours," "virtual learning," and "virtual classroom" all landing in the top ten virtual searches. </p><p>For schools, parents, and students alike, remote learning has proven one of the year's Herculean labors. While there is evidence that remote <a href="https://bigthink.com/personal-growth/remote-education" target="_self">education has decreased anxiety for some children, </a>there's also evidence suggesting that such setups are taking <a href="https://www.apa.org/news/apa/2020/10/online-learning-mental-health" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a mental health toll on others</a>. Unfortunately, we likely won't know for some time how a year of peer separation will affect student's social development or their scholastic achievements.</p><p>American adults have also felt the social claustrophobia of stay-at-home orders and are seeking a virtual escape. Trending searches include "virtual marriage," "virtual baby shower," "virtual NBA fans," and "virtual EDC raves." As with their pint-sized peers, it remains unknown how <a href="https://bigthink.com/coronavirus/pandemic-mental-health" target="_self">this year of isolation will affect mental health</a> in adults. However, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6932a1.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">data suggest</a> stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental maladies have become more widespread alongside altered health habits and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7444649/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a lack of access to mental health support services</a>.</p><p>These virtual events may serve as an analgesic, but they aren't a cure for the problem.</p>Personal growth becomes personal beauty
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk2NDUwNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMjIxNjcxMH0.Ng9pn9K_jbVQCZZY7o7i0HpfHPI6o8OzV5nEvLPS57Y/img.jpg?width=980" id="e4b04" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8477605b3cc2e1d8682fbc94e07f5f44" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="at-home haircut" data-width="7360" data-height="4912" />Credit: Eugenio Marongiu / Adobe Stock
<p><a href="https://www.bigthinkedge.com/5-things-to-learn-about-personal-growth-and-how-to-achieve-your-own/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Personal growth</a> and health habits typically have a strong standing in Google's "Year of Search," but in 2020, diets and mindfulness took a backseat to the how-to's. How-to questions became trending searches thanks to Americans being cut off from amenities such as beauty parlors and nail salons.</p><p>Most of the trending how-to searches were for hair care. How to cut men's hair and women's hair. How to plop hair, <a href="https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/does-hair-dye-cause-cancer" target="_self">color hair</a>, and style curtain bangs. Americans clearly pined for their stylists in 2020. </p><p>Other notable how-to's included dermaplaning, washing hands properly, sewing a face mask, and rocking sweatpants with style. And if that list doesn't signal just how difficult 2020 was, then what else does?</p>Mother Nature pushes back
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9bb94f5d5a58d40f03e1515f3c2e467c"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gzksqQDI_kE?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>Well, science news may. 2020's trending science searches centered on natural disasters. Americans googled "fires near me" as conflagrations devoured the West Coast, destroying <a href="https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/too-many-trees" target="_self">forests</a>, neighborhoods, and even <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2020-09-09/explosive-western-us-wildfires-threaten-oregon-towns" target="_blank">whole towns</a> as they went. <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/hurricane-laura-live-updates" target="_blank">Hurricane Laura</a>, a Category 4 storm, also trended after slamming into Louisiana this August.</p><p>All told, 2020 witnessed <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-running-list-of-record-breaking-natural-disasters-in-2020/" target="_blank">record-breaking levels of natural disasters</a>, many hitting with a force more devastating than previous years. This <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/10/1075142" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rise in climate emergencies</a> is part of a two-decade trend that scientists have linked to climate change and increased global temperatures.</p><p>When not worrying about natural disasters, Americans were fretting over "murder hornets," another trending term. Entomologists discovered the murder hornets—actually named the Asian giant hornets—in Washington state this year. Because native bees have no natural defenses against this <a href="https://bigthink.com/kevin-dickinson/invasive-species-how-the-tegu-lizard-could-invade-the-southern-us" target="_self">invasive species</a>, their colonies can be massacred by a few dozen hornets in mere hours. While one murder hornet's nest was discovered and destroyed near Blaine, Washington, experts worry there may be more.</p><p>At least there was that baby platypus to enjoy. Except no. In true 2020 fashion, <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/the-incredibly-cute-baby-platypus-that-went-viral-has-a-dark-secret-you-ought-to-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">that picture was bogus</a>—although, not to be a total buzzkill, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhVCwtW6gQ0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">real platypus babies</a> are darn cute.</p>Aiming to make 2021 a better year
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk1ODk2OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMjM4NzcyNn0.9p5TuitsBtuKblWPCM_mR8DCL7mxoBdrcfMyncrj9vk/img.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=0%2C215%2C0%2C215&height=700" id="78c31" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="240158cc13d58aab62156ce4be124409" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1245" data-height="700" />Students line up to receive food aid packages provided by the charity Secours Populaire in France.
<p>If we're looking for a silver lining to 2020—and at this point it'd be nice—it's that people were actively searching for ways to make the world better.</p><p>The categories "how to donate" and "how to help" both trended in the United States. People wanted to know how to help Yemen, Beirut, Black Lives Matter, and the Australian bushfires. They searched how to assist during the pandemic or help someone having a panic attack. They wanted to donate to Goodwill and send N95 masks to medical facilities. Even search terms about how to donate blood and plasma became trending in 2020. </p><p>As mentioned at the beginning of this article, that means that more people were searching for answers to these questions than in previous years, a likely sign of people trying to help others. So while 2020 certainly sucked, it would have been worse without the people who made it better in their own small way. </p><p>As we look to New Year's Eve, we can crank up Elton John's "I'm Still Standing" and take heart that if next year is better, it is because of the efforts we made in 2020. Because 2021 has got to be a better year. Right?</p>3 reasons for information exhaustion – and what to do about it
How to deal with "epistemic exhaustion."
Will America’s disregard for science be the end of its reign?
Confirmation bias is baked into the DNA of America, but it may soon be the nation's undoing.
- From America's inception, there has always been a rebellious, anti-establishment mentality. That way of thinking has become more reckless now that the entire world is interconnected and there are added layers of verification (or repudiation) of facts.
- As the great minds in this video can attest, there are systems and mechanisms in place to discern between opinion and truth. By making conscious efforts to undermine and ignore those systems at every turn (climate change, conspiracy theories, coronavirus, politics, etc.), America has compromised its position of power and effectively stunted its own growth.
- A part of the problem, according to writer and radio host Kurt Andersen, is a new media infrastructure that allows for false opinions to persist and spread to others. Is it the beginning of the end of the American empire?
Study: Do people trust governments less when ‘fake news’ proves real?
People remember when governments lie to them and it lowers their satisfaction in government officials.
- A recent study measured how the public's trust in government differs when exposed to rumors, government denials, and subsequent verification of the initial rumors.
- The study, conducted in China, also examined whether any changes in trust lasted over a three-week period.
- The results suggest that governments that deem negative information as "fake news" may persuade some people, but over the long term it can cost them in credibility and public satisfaction.
Credit: Anthony Kwan/Getty Images
<p><br></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"The ability to label claims and explanations that the authorities deem objectionable as fake has long been regarded as a power," the researchers wrote. "Because the revelation of the falsehood of government denials could erode the government's power, it is important to investigate its consequences, particularly in the authoritarian setting."</p><p>In the study, the researchers conducted a survey on three groups of participants. Each group was shown different information regarding a new automobile registration policy, and they were also asked general questions about demographic information and political interests. The study explains:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"The first group was exposed to a rumor regarding the government's automobile registration policy (<em>rumor group</em>), the second group was exposed to the government's denial of the rumor (<em>denial group</em>), and the third group was exposed to an event in which the rumor initially denied by the government was verified as true (<em>verification group</em>)."</p><p>Each group then reported how much they believed in the initial rumor and the government denial. The denial and verification groups were also asked to rate their satisfaction with the government's handling of automobile registration.</p><p>The results showed that government denial effectively decreased belief in the rumor, compared to the group that was exposed only to the rumor. Meanwhile, being exposed to a verification of the rumor increased belief in the rumor and decreased belief in the denial. Also, the verification group reported being slightly less satisfied with the government.</p>Design of survey 1
Credit: Wang et al.
<p>But do these effects last? After all, <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/40982891" target="_blank">past research</a> suggests that the effects of persuasive communication — say, a negative political ad smearing a candidate — tend to disappear within days.</p><p>To find out, the researchers conducted a follow-up survey three weeks after the first. This time, the survey included only two groups: the verification group from the first survey, and a group of new participants. Both groups were exposed to a rumor and then a government denial.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"The difference between the two groups was simply that one of them had previously experienced the revelation of the government's false denial of an online rumor, while the other group did not have such an experience," the researchers wrote.</p><p>The results showed that the verification group — that is, people who had weeks earlier been shown that the government had lied to them — was much less likely to believe in the government's denial. What's more, the verification group was also less satisfied with the government.</p>Design of survey 2
Wang et al.
<p>The findings suggest that governments can lose credibility over the long term when they call something "fake news" but it later proves true.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"As discussed earlier, while authoritarian countries can be awash with rumors and fake news, it is less frequent for the government's false denials to be caught due to the lack of independent news media and fact-checking organizations," the researchers wrote.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"It is therefore a vivid and memorable experience to see the government's denial bluntly shown to be false. Unsurprisingly, such an experience would make people less willing to believe a new denial from the government, especially if it is somewhat similar to the one that had been shown to be false."</p><p>Ultimately, calling "fake news" on negative information does seem to persuade some people. But it seems to be a costly short-term strategy, one that comes with the added cost of a dissatisfied public.</p>The homogeneity of the news media can now be quantified
New research reveals the extent to which groupthink bias is increasingly being built into the content we consume.
- When ownership of news sources is concentrated into the hands of just a handful of corporations, the kind of reporting that audiences get to see is limited and all the more likely to be slanted by corporate interests.
- Newsroom employment has declined dramatically over the past decade, and this has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The findings of a new University of Illinois study suggest that Washington journalists operate in insular microbubbles that are vulnerable to consensus seeking. If the reporters on the Hill are feeding America copycat news information, we are all at risk of succumbing to groupthink.
Deregulation and the rise of new media
<p>Up until the 1980s, the federal government worked to <a href="https://billmoyers.com/story/media-consolidation-should-anyone-care/" target="_blank">prevent media consolidation</a> in partnership with the FCC. But under Reagan, many of the existing regulations were shelved, giving corporations greater leeway in acquiring local news outlets.</p><p>The deregulatory trend persisted, arguably culminating with Clinton's 1996 <a href="http://www.commoncause.org/research-reports/National_050905_Fallout_From_The_Telecommunications_Act_2.pdf" target="_blank">Telecommunications Act</a>. A watershed moment for news media homogeneity, the law essentially permitted corporations to amass large numbers of local newspapers and news stations, granting hegemons access to almost every household in America.</p>Traditional news outlets have been suffering for years with the rise of cable networks and the advent of web publishing. With free content constantly available online, many outlets have given up the ghost and shut down print and broadcast. Newsroom employment has <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/20/u-s-newsroom-employment-has-dropped-by-a-quarter-since-2008/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">declined dramatically</a> over the past decade, and this has only been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/apr/09/coronavirus-us-newspapers-impact" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">exacerbated by the COVID-19</a> pandemic.Record distrust in the media industry
<p>There's never been a time in American history when the sources of information were so doubted. Even <a href="https://www.cjr.org/special_report/the-fall-rise-and-fall-of-media-trust.php" target="_blank">after Watergate</a>, trust in the media stood at 74 percent. At last count, <a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/1597/confidence-institutions.aspx" target="_blank">Gallup found</a> that just 20 percent of American have confidence in print and broadcast journalism, two more percentage points than TV news received in the same poll.</p><p>There is a growing concern that news media is biased, that reporters don't just report but curate and editorialize, and that the money behind the news has an impact on what is reported and how. This suspicion is fodder for conspiracy theorists who vilify the mainstream media and offer alternative facts to what is available. Playing on people's fears, alternative outlets online are picking up steam and spreading misinformation (and deliberate disinformation). </p><p>For example, although many leading news outlets – including The Washington Post, The Independent, The New York Times and even Fox News – independently debunked the "Pizzagate" conspiracy as soon as it began to spread in 2016, media coverage of the story has steadily risen throughout the past year.</p>Fewer journalists means fewer voices
<p>One factor in Americans' diminishing trust in the news is that there are fewer journalists, especially local journalists, that viewers can turn to as distinct voices. Lack of local coverage and the rise of homogeneous, sensationalist journalism are perpetuating distrust and driving many Americans to look for news elsewhere – and leaving them susceptible to manipulation. </p> <p>As mentioned earlier, print media has been <a href="https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2020/here-are-the-newsroom-layoffs-furloughs-and-closures-caused-by-the-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">hit hard</a>, and broadcast journalism is also feeling the pain. With lots of newsroom layoffs and closures, having fewer journalists means exposure to fewer perspectives. This has created a situation where there is less original reporting, with more repurposing of others' stories and less fact checking, thereby contributing to the spread of misinformation. </p><p>Lack of local news has far reaching effects on democracy. One study from <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/policy-institute/assets/cmcp/local-news.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">King's College London</a> found that communities without local community news outlets have less public engagement and greater distrust of public institutions. </p><p>"We can all have our own social media account, but when local papers are depleted or in some cases simply don't exist, people lose a communal voice," Martin Moore, the author of the study, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/sep/29/local-newspapers-closing-down-communities-withering" target="_blank">remarked</a>. "They feel angry, not listened to and more likely to believe malicious rumour."</p>Mainstream media and fake news
<p> Ironically, while the erosion of mainstream media is contributing to the rise of misinformation and alternative news, when outlets attempt to expose fake news, it often backfires, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23808985.2020.1759443" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">propelling its dissemination</a>. Plenty of news consumers first encounter conspiracies and disinformation on the news, but rather than building trust, <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/media/394352-poll-72-percent-say-traditional-outlets-report-news-they-know-to-be-fake-false" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">72 percent of Americans</a> believe that traditional outlets are the ones with the agenda. </p><p> And who can blame them? The parroting of identical headlines across consolidated newsrooms doesn't help instill confidence. Take for example this compilation of "local news" talking heads repeating the same script: </p><p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_fHfgU8oMSo" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> </p><p> All of these reporters are part of the <a href="http://sbgi.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sinclair Broadcast Group</a>. It's hard to deny the dangers of corporate consolidation of news media when confronted with damning clips like this, and Sinclair is out for even more control. An attempted acquisition in 2017 would have put Sinclair stations in 72 percent of households with a television, but the deal was <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/2019/08/when-it-comes-to-the-consolidation-of-local-news-companies-american-worry-a-lot-more-about-political-bias-than-about-newsroom-cutbacks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">struck down</a> by Tribune. </p><p> This is a huge amount of influence for one company, or person, to have. In an election year, this is even more pertinent. </p>Social media algorithms and information bubbles
<p>Just as more Americans distrust mainstream news, the majority get their facts on social media. This wouldn't be a problem per se, but the way online news is delivered to consumers <a href="https://bigthink.com/politics-current-affairs/social-media-2020-us-election" target="_self">perpetuates echo chambers</a> and information bubbles. </p><p>Social media deliberately surfaces content to individuals that confirm their views and echo previously viewed or shared content. The algorithms amplify biases and screen out dissenting opinions. Before you know it, other voices are blocked from your feed, leaving you in an echo chamber. This doesn't just apply to news, but also to targeted ads and campaigns designed for microcommunities with shared attributes. </p> <p>It has never been easier to convince so many people to believe stories that aren't necessarily true – lack of trust, consolidation of news outlets, the contraction of journalism, and the pervasiveness of web news is creating isolated information bubbles that many of us now find ourselves stuck in. People naturally want to read news that confirms their beliefs. </p><p>When infotainment is commoditized and served up for quick and easy consumption, critical thinking takes a back seat.</p>Finding the facts on your own
<p>With quantified evidence of journalistic groupthink and information bubbles among those who consume political information, is there hope for open dialogue and a variety of perspectives? </p><p>Ultimately, yes. However, this won't likely be coming from the news media. Choosing not to be misled and seeking out a variety of opinions and perspectives is something that each individual will likely have to do on their own, even if it means questioning one's fundamental beliefs. This entails verifying the information you read, actively engaging with people outside of your comfortable echo chamber, and even changing your mind when confronted with hard evidence. </p><p>Finding the facts on your own can be tough, but if we can't rely on the news to give us the news, there's no other choice. </p>