The asymmetry of polarization among elites is a significant enigma. Politicians can maintain a system, and new political media are forms of communication that enable the production, distribution, and exchange of political content on platforms and networks that allow for interaction and collaboration. They have grown rapidly over the past three decades and continue to develop in novel, sometimes unforeseen ways. The advent of new media has had a profound effect on democratic governance and political practices.
It has drastically changed the way government institutions work and political leaders communicate. It has transformed the political media system and redefined the role of journalists. It has also redefined the way elections are held and how citizens participate in politics. At present, American democracy is at a critical juncture. The country needs to make a radical shift in strategy and support or else it could face a democratic setback similar to those already occurring in India and Hungary.
Companies, threatened by retaliatory legislation, try to keep their voices out of politics to do business beyond state borders, and are increasingly being coerced into making donations to campaigns to avoid being punished for invented political crimes. Political analyst Nate Silver (201) argues that the national press has been operating in a politically homogenous, metropolitan, and liberal-leaning bubble that has adhered to “establishment influencers”. Political divisions are reflected in the presence of “echo chambers” in the media, where people select their sources of news and information based on their affinity with the policies of other users. New media had the potential to improve people's access to political information, facilitate broader political discourse, and encourage participation. At the end of the decade, intimidation maintained political order in several counties that lean towards red but still have a strong democratic plurality. All these are ways to emotionally engage Americans who may be too polarized to participate in pro-democracy activities in the political sphere or who simply aren't interested in politics.
Other explanations focus on the nature of the US political environment, which has become extremely polarized, leading to the emergence of political agendas that promote clandestine politics. Political observers and academics contemplated the arrival of a “new media populism” that would involve citizens deprived of their rights and would facilitate a more active role of the public in political discourse.
