The parallels between political polarization in the United States and Colombia

The renowned academic, Peter T. Coleman, has studied the phenomenon of political polarization in the United States and He assures that there are many parallels with the situation in Colombia, since according to him, polarization is a transversal phenomenon in democratic societies. Coleman is an American social psychologist, professor at Columbia University, executive director of the Morton Deutsch Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution and author of the book: ‘How to Overcome Toxic Polarization’. On May 21, the renowned academic was in Bogotá, invited by Caracol Televisión, to give a conference on his studies of polarization as a psychosocial phenomenon.

Political polarization goes beyond simple irreconcilable disagreement between large groups, it implies a disdain for those who think differently, a dangerous way of thinking, but sadly prevalent in many countries around the world. Are there solutions to this phenomenon before it is too late? Academics who study polarization affirm that there is no single solution to the growing division in our political communities and multiple measures must be implemented together to put a stop to polarization.

In an event that was attended by prominent figures of national politics, The academic went into detail about the dangers of polarization, its causes and possible solutions to this problem. Notable personalities from the Colombian political scene were present at the event, such as the Director of the Administrative Department of the Presidency, Laura Sarabia; the former governor and former mayor, Sergio Fajardo and the renowned academic and former presidential candidate, Alejandro Gaviria.

According to Coleman, political polarization is a phenomenon caused by an endless number of different causes, the growing political division is fueled by factors that are part of a harmful vicious circle in which citizens’ emotions progressively feed back on the media ecosystem and the political system. The consolidation of majority blocs at the extremes of the political spectrum can lead to the ineffectiveness of government institutions and eventually to scenarios of internal conflict.

“Polarization is a natural phenomenon, it is a sense of loyalty and iron affection towards those who think like us and contempt for those who do not. In practice, polarization leads us to have an exclusive dialogue within our own groups and only have contact with our opponents to enter into conflict. Democracy goes against our tribal instincts, it takes hard work, and that is why we must address this issue urgently,” Coleman said.

For Coleman, polarization is a natural result of the discussion and debate typical of a dynamic democracy, but extreme levels of polarization can lead a country to violence and conflict. The professor mentioned the least polarized societies in the world and pointed out that these do not usually have democratic systems, while the most polarized ones, such as Colombia and the United States, face possible escalations of violence as a result of irreconcilable divisions in the population. Coleman expresses that it is not about completely eliminating ideological divisions from the political spectrum, but about improving them and leading them towards the constructive development of democracy.

The role of social networks and technology

Coleman warns that the addictive nature of social media leads citizens to ‘echo chambers’ or virtual spaces in which we are only exposed to media that confirms our already established biases and beliefs. Although we currently enjoy a greater amount of media and sources of information, humans are instinctively programmed to reaffirm our opinions. Those who design the interfaces and algorithms of social networks know this, and they exploit it to increase our browsing time.

The academic also pointed out that the most extreme voices, from both sides, are those who publish on social networks more frequently, which is why they have more followers and their content receives greater dissemination. The prevalence of media figures who take advantage of polarization scenarios to grow their platforms produces an erroneous perception on opposing sides, which is why We mistakenly think that the majority of those who disagree with us have more radical positions than they usually do.

The case of Colombia

Although one of the most prominent features of political polarization in the United States is its two-party system, Coleman stated that it ends up producing effects similar to those experienced in Colombia, where there are currently more than 30 legally recognized political parties. The extreme fragmentation of political parties makes it difficult to create coalitions in Congress, similar to the obstacles that governments encounter when there is only one opposition bloc. The inability to legislate efficiently ends up torpedoing the action of the State and producing an environment of dissatisfaction in which polarization can grow.

Coleman commented on the specific situation in Colombia and proposed several factors related to the peace process, which could significantly contribute to the country’s growing polarization. According to the professor, there was great expectation with the 2016 peace process and citizens were promised a ‘post-conflict’ country, but There was an atmosphere of disillusionment with the ‘post-agreement’ stage in which significant progress has been made, but many problems prevail and violence has decreased, but not ceased.

For Coleman, the evolution of the security situation has also opened the doors to the discussion of other structural problems in which consensus is much more difficult to achieve. The departure of the extinct FARC as the great main adversary of the National Army could have taken away a common enemy from public opinion, and the complexity and multiplicity of actors in this new stage of conflict has divided the perceptions of citizens.

What are the solutions?

The social scientist mentions that the success of efforts to moderate polarization does not depend exclusively on measures imposed from above or changes in individual behavior and on the contrary, it requires simultaneous changes at many levels and sectors.

Carrying out a greater degree of surveillance and regulation of the addictive design of social networks is one of the measures that require state intervention, while others undergo a transformation in the design and procedure of government institutions. The implementation of ranked-choice voting, a voting system in which voters rank candidates in order of affinity, helps reduce polarized rhetoric during election campaigns.

Currently, the preferential voting system is implemented in various versions in some constituencies in the United States and Canada, in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. However, preference voting It implies greater administrative capacity on the part of the electoral authorities and requires great confidence in the transparency of democratic institutions for its implementation.

Coleman also emphasized the role that the media and journalists play in disseminating sensational material that contributes to polarization. It is therefore necessary to propose new journalism models that find the possibility of balancing the sustainability of income with weighted information.

Coleman also mentioned other financing models for media, such as that of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), which is publicly financed but operates independently of the executive, which allows prioritizing the independence and editorial responsibility of the medium.

Likewise, educational institutions play a fundamental role in controlling polarization. According to Coleman, Schools can prohibit the use of cell phones on their campuses to mitigate addiction to social networks and to promote in-person socialization. Currently, several countries such as France have banned the use of mobile devices in schools and recently the Union of International Schools of Bogotá, which brings together 27 schools, has restricted the use of cell phones, smart watches and other devices for personal use.

SANTIAGO MALAGÓN RESTREPO – POLITICAL EDITORIAL