Don’t talk about politics or religion at the dinner table. The traditional etiquette is one many people were raised upon, considering it common courtesy to avoid any potentially tumultuous discussions with guests to preserve a peaceful, harmonious evening. While respecting others’ opinions is an important covenant to uphold, regarding open conversation as taboo may have hindered the inclination of many individuals to become invested in politics.
The expressed disinterest of those who have been turned away from discussing politics altogether, reluctant to be viewed as impolite or obsessively concerned, reflects a commonly used phrase offered in response to any political issues brought to their attention: “But, I’m just not into politics.”
We are currently at a point in our history where news is more accessible than ever before; the internet provides us with access to hundreds of sources for seemingly every direction on every issue. However, it is precisely this overflow of information that has left many individuals unsure where to turn for reliable communication.
According to a study from the National Library of Medicine, a large portion of fake news mimics the common visual and structural formats of social media platforms, making it easily digestible and leading to a high risk of confusion.
The increasing prevalence of misinformation leaves many potential voters overwhelmed, unable to uncover the truth and turning a simple search for knowledge into a never-ending rabbit hole.
Social media outlets aren’t making it any easier, often getting away with perpetuating misinformation under the Communications Decency Act of 1996 Section 230, which states that a platform cannot be sued for user content, as they are not considered to be a publisher. This differs drastically from traditional news outlets, which can be held legally accountable for any published defamation, libel or slander.
This is increasingly prevalent with the way the majority of young voters obtain their information, with the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement finding 77% of young adults rely on at least one form of social media or YouTube as one of their top three sources of information.
Gita Johar, professor of business at Columbia Business School, took a deeper look with her colleagues as to why platforms cannot control misinformation. One of the main issues they discovered was that human fact-checkers hired by these platforms to verify posts were quickly overwhelmed by the amount of content. So, if hired professionals have found themselves struggling to stay afloat in the floodgates of fake news, everyday citizens have surely faced the same problems themselves.
Nonetheless, while these hurdles can be incredibly discouraging to voters, simply deciding to remain ignorant of the political discourse taking place within the United States is not a reasonable alternative. Ignorance might be bliss, but it’s a privilege only enjoyed by a select few who do not have to concern themselves with politics because there is no issue directly impacting their day-to-day lives.
By saying they are “not into politics,” people might as well be saying they are not invested in any injustices our government may carry out, they are not concerned with any lives that are not their own. Our democracy is built and sustained through voting, and it is our civic responsibility as citizens in this country to be well-educated on the state of our country.
We owe this to our fellow countrymen who have worked toward earning this hard-fought right. But we also owe it to humanity to have empathy for one another, to care about what happens to one another and to fight for what we think is morally righteous.
By no means am I insinuating you should vote simply to say you have done so. Any decision made under the veil of ignorance and misinformation damages the people who suffer through the consequences of your decision. But taking the time to educate yourself on media literacy, finding reliable sources and determining the truth is a sacrifice people must make in the name of democracy.
Layla Vinson is a junior studying journalism & English at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Layla Vinson about their column? Email them at lv861322@ohio.edu.
