Somewhat more surprisingly, he notes that some studies have found that exposing people to opposing views doesn’t actually make them more open-minded about politics: One paper suggests it actually causes them to double down on their beliefs.
I finally got around to reading that paper and couldn't have been more disappointed.
A vast literature indicates contact between opposing groups can challenge stereotypes that develop in the absence of positive interactions between them (30). Studies also indicate intergroup contact increases the likelihood of deliberation and political compromise (31⇓–33). However, all of these previous studies examine interpersonal contact between members of rival groups. In contrast, our experiment creates virtual contact between members of the public and opinion leaders from the opposing political party on a social media site.
So yeah, peer intergroup contact does lead to depolarization. This paper does absolutely nothing to challenge that notion. I think it's actually symptomatic of the deeper problem of superficial engagement that the author of this article failed to make that distinction.
I finally got around to reading that paper and couldn't have been more disappointed.
So yeah, peer intergroup contact does lead to depolarization. This paper does absolutely nothing to challenge that notion. I think it's actually symptomatic of the deeper problem of superficial engagement that the author of this article failed to make that distinction.