2025 has been a year of rapid changes in government. It’s easy to lose your head in the whirlwind discourse and exaggerated headlines in an era where your attention, fear and rage is a commodity. Try not to fall for the fearmongering. We’re not in an ideological war.
January 20, 2025 marked the beginning of Donald J. Trump’s second and final presidential term. With promises of economic growth, American dominance and dismantling of government corruption, his inauguration represented hope for many Americans disillusioned by the current system.
Almost a year in, many Americans are left conflicted. As of November 2025, Trump’s disapproval rate has climbed to 63%, breaking his own previous record of 62% during his first term. With dissatisfaction on all sides, tensions have scarcely felt higher.
A fair portion of U.S. citizens are losing trust in the government and in one another. Incidents of political violence have cast a dark shadow over our country, while media outlets seek to capitalize on fear and anger. How can we account for this culture shift?
“The major fault line we have today in politics is those who wish to preserve the system, and those who wish to destroy it,” said Dr. Casey Klofstad, chair of the political science department at the University of Miami.
Klofstad, whose research explores anti-establishment attitudes in the public, described how this political divide transcends traditional party lines. The Trump movement, according to Klofstad, has appealed to a large number of Americans concerned about corruption and dysfunction in the government.
“Trust in government is at all-time lows,” he said. “People feel alienated and ignored by their government.” coincided with high voter turnout. According to the PEW Research Center, the 2020 and 2024 elections saw voter turnout rates of 66% and 64% respectively. These were the highest in U.S. history since 1908.
With more voices being heard, especially among Gen Z, presidential elections are perceived as historical moments with higher stakes. At the same time, political polarization is a concern for many of these politically engaged Americans.
About the Algorithm
Andie Galante, a senior political science major at UM, is one member of Gen Z who feels the tensions rising. She believes that this is fueled not only by an increase in political interest among young people but by an overreliance on social media.
“The polarization comes from [the fact that] our algorithms are so closely tailored to us that all you’re seeing is extremes,” Galante said. “You’re not seeing any middle ground anymore.”
Her assessment isn’t far off. Social media algorithms push us toward content we agree with in order to keep us scrolling. At the same time, they can also drive up engagement by showing us content that enrages us: extremist views from the other side, misrepresentations of our own arguments or even AI-generated content designed to upset or confuse us.
One way algorithms exacerbate political polarization is through the “alt-right pipeline.”
Popular creators like Joe Rogan, Alex Jones and Andrew Tate are extremely accessible, especially to their target audience of young men. With features like YouTube’s auto-play, somebody watching their videos can be redirected to increasingly aggressive, nationalistic and misogynistic content without having to lift a finger.
It’s not just social media that drives the polarization either. Media outlets in general are much more polarized than the public, unrealistically inflating the perception of polarization.
According to Klofstad, the elites — politicians, elected officials and journalists — have exhibited much more divergence in their views and more unwillingness to cross the aisle than the average American. This leads to public perception of the “other” side as becoming more extreme, more aggressive or more of a threat, when that may not be the case.
“Most folks aren’t engaged in these cultural wars or any of these sorts of things. They just want a decent paying job, a home, and some peace in their life,” Klofstad said.
Media outlets and social media content might convince readers that their views or their lifestyles are under attack. This overshadows the reality that many Americans actually agree on basic policy issues compared to these political elites.
How Polarized Are We?
In this past year, we’ve seen media outlets manipulate and prey upon Americans’ outrage as well as their fear.
In September 2025, prominent conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was shot at Utah Valley University. In the wake of this loss, right wing leaders across the country recalled 2024’s attempted assassination of Trump, condemning violence as a response to rhetoric. Some of the most alarming reactions attempted to chalk up this political violence to radical leftism, gender ideology and indoctrination from universities.
By stoking fires of fear among Americans, especially right-wing Americans, media outlets contributed to one of the biggest myths about polarization: that violence is on the rise.
According to research from Dartmouth College’s Polarization Research Lab, Americans believe that up to a third of their opposing political party support political violence. In reality, fewer than 2% of Americans in general condone political violence in any form.
This contributes to the imbalanced perception Americans have of their opposing parties. Sensationalism in the media is not specific to any particular ideology, but serves to fuel the feeling that the public, much like the political elites, are engaged in ideological warfare.
Tragic incidents of violence, from the murder of George Floyd to school shootings across the country, can be symptoms of underlying political injustice. In the media, these stories can easily be manipulated to incite fear and division in place of solutions.
Across the Aisle
The average American is not at war with the other, and it has become more important than ever to resist fearful and enraging rhetoric.
We have the ability to fortify ourselves against polarization by connecting with the people around us, according to Klofstad.
“Those are things that you can affect in a positive way that anchor you to other people,” he said.
Actions like volunteering in local campaigns are one pathway to connecting with other Americans who are navigating some of the same issues as us.
“Maybe you’re gonna bump into somebody that doesn’t agree with you politically,” Klofstad said, “but you will engage in a collective effort together and perhaps learn a little bit about each other along the way.”
While more young people than ever have been voting, it seems like faith in the democratic system remains despite challenges. The overwhelming sway of the digital age might push and pull people in all directions. However, American civilians are not as divided as the ones in office or with prominent media platforms. Finding community across the aisle is still not only possible, but necessary.
words, illustration&design_jay moyer.
This article was published in Distraction’s Winter 2025 print issue.
Follow our Social Media:
Instagram Tik Tok Facebook LinkedIn