Polarization

This study explores who Turkish citizens view as the Other, their perceptions, evaluations, and the degree of Othering of these groups in the private and public spheres. Drawing from varied political science and social psychology literature, it also examines the role of social contact, perceived threat, and the strength of national and religious identification in predicting levels of Othering. Using a national representative sample, the findings reveal that Kurds are the most Othered group in the private sphere, while both Kurds and AKP (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi – Justice and Development Party) supporters are the most Othered groups in the public sphere. Regardless of who the Other is, lower social contact and higher levels of perceived threat are associated with higher levels of Othering of Kurds, Alevis, AKP supporters, and AKP opponents in both the private and public spheres.

Keywords: Othering, Turkey, polarisation, ethnicity, sectarianism, ideological divide

The 1908 Tunguska event was not related to the Earth's collision with a comet/asteroid and could be most probably a tectonic event caused by solar-lunar-terrestrial perturbances. The evidence: 1. The polarization effect 'spread' from the lower to the upper atmosphere, and not vice versa, as would be expected in the case of the penetration of comet matter. 2. Before the Tunguska explosion on June 30, the appearance of luminous clouds over Europa. For asteroids and inactive comets, preceding airglows are impossible. In the case of an active comet with tails, astronomers would notice her in advance. Since the airglows of the Tunguska event were also observed in the cone of the Earth's shadow, they could not be caused, as is generally believed, by NLCs after the explosion of a comet/asteroid. 3. The Tunguska event was dependent on physical processes associated with the solar eclipse on June 28, 1908. This was indicated by geomagnetic pulsations in Kiel on June 27-30, 1908. 4. The seismogram recorded in Irkutsk on June 30, 1908, confirms the tectonic-volcanic earthquake. 5. No traces of the chondrite fraction of an alleged comet were found. 6. The Kulikovskiy paleovolcano had five stages of activity from the times of Siberian Flood Basalts (~252 Myr ago) to the 1908 explosion. All events were connected with the 'Perm LLSVPs Anomaly' located under Eurasia on the core-mantle boundary. 7. Moissanite formations, in layers of both the mud-volcanic phase (7320 years) and 1908, were found. Their genesis is the decisive factor for the 1908 Tunguska event's nature.

Drawing on a national survey among American adults, this study focuses on the trade dispute between the U.S. and China and explores the relationship between social media use and opinion polarization about China's trade practices. The results reveal that the time spent on social media is indirectly associated with opinion polarization on China's trade practices through news consumption on social media. Furthermore, the mediating effect of social media news consumption is found to be particularly stronger among those who frequently encounter like-minded information related to the U.S. government's action during the trade dispute. Implications are discussed for the interaction between foreign policy and public opinion in the contemporary media environment.

The ability of social media users to express themselves online should be influential for opinion formation, including potential polarization. Still, little is known about how expression interacts with users’ psychological predispositions, especially for controversial topics. The potential for expression to relate to support for social media-based racial justice movements, which could also be affected by underlying feelings of racial resentment, is particularly interesting. We apply the Differential Susceptibility to Media Effects Model (DSMM) to the study of the relationship between social media expression and issue polarization regarding Black Lives Matter. In a survey of social media users conducted during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, we find that racial resentment moderates the relationship between social media expression and support for racial justice movements. Among low-resentment social media users, more frequent expression was associated with less support for Black Lives Matter. Additionally, low- versus high-resentment users who expressed themselves on social media more frequently were more polarized in their support for All Lives Matter but less polarized in their support for Black Lives Matter. In line with the DSMM, our findings highlight that users’ psychological predispositions must be taken into account when determining how social media expression relates to issue polarization.

Artikel ini ingin melacak dampak polarisasi politik pasca pemilu yang cukup kuat dalam wacana Covid-19. Pentingnya melacak perbincangan tentang Covid-19 adalah untuk melihat dampak distraksi kebijakan pemerintah dalam penanganan Covid-19. Penelitian ini menggunakan social network analisis dan social network actor dalam perbicangan di media sosial Twitter. Dengan mengidentifikasi trending topic yang terkait selama 4 bulan, maka dilakukan crawling data dengan pemograman Phyton, kemudian dilakukan analisis kumulatif teks melalui library phyton sastrawi dan visualisasi analisis SNA dengan Gephi. Temuan penelitian ini memetakan setidaknya ada dua kutub kluster besar yang berseberangan, pertama adalah kutub kluster populis pluralis dan kutub kluster populis islam. Temuannya menunjukkan bahwa wacana kebijakan Covid-19 justru menjadi ajang bagi perang sentimen masing-masing kubu, yang ternyata didominasi oleh buzzer dan sebagian kecil influencer. Sebaliknya, suara kelompok kritis dan rasional malah tenggelam oleh gaung dari para buzzer yang cenderung memiliki sentimen negatif.

«Tiggerene er akkurat som rotter! De forpester byen vår og er under kategorien SKADEDYR!!» (Deltaker på Facebook-gruppen «Få tiggerne vekk fra Kristiansand», oktober 2014)

Den globaliserte fattigdommen er vanskelig å holde unna, selv i et Norge på velstandstoppen i verden. Men synet av fattige tilreisende som tigger i gatene, vekker ubehag, noe som kommer fram i den offentlige debatten. Hos noen synes det å slå ut i forakt, mens det hos andre vekker empati. De nye midlertidige migrantene som tigger i Norge, er hovedsakelig fra Romania, og stort sett etniske roma. Studier viser at det er mer snakk om «uorganisert fattigdom» enn om organisert kriminalitet, som ikke er blitt doku-mentert i direkte sammenheng med tigging (Djuve mfl. 2015; Engebrigtsen 2012; Engebrigtsen mfl. 2014). Både norske og europeiske undersøkelser tyder på at roma er den aller mest diskriminerte og marginaliserte minoriteten i vår del av verden (HL-senteret, 2012; Rosvoll og Bielenberg 2012). Mye tyder på at denne marginaliseringstendensen påvirker holdninger og diskurser også i det norske samfunnet, som ellers er preget av menneskerettighetsretorikk og regnet som et av verdens mest sosialt progressive land. Norske mediers framstilling av tigging og roma kan sies delvis å spille på og styrke fordommer (Adolfsson 2014). Enda sterkere ord og kategoriseringer forekommer i den mer uformelle, folkelige diskursen om tiggere i sosiale medier, en arena som ikke har vært utforsket i samme grad tidligere. Det er denne arenaen det settes søkelys på her.

I denne teksten presenteres en empirisk studie av ambivalensen overfor
fattige tilreisende i dagens Norge. Mer spesifikt vil jeg utforske hvordan tiggere omtales i en bestemt gruppe på et nettsamfunn, og hvordan dehumanisering og menneskeverd framtrer på og mellom linjene. Dette belyser jeg gjennom en diskursanalyse av innlegg fra gruppesiden og ved hjelp av språkpsykologisk og samfunnspsykologisk teori. Hensikten med analysen er å forstå hva slags dehumaniserende tendenser – og motkrefter – som forekommer i nettdiskursen. Dette danner igjen grunnlag for å drøfte mulige strategier som kan fremme empati framfor hatprat.

Real-time holographic interferometry and shadowgraph visualization are used to study convection in the fluid between two concentric spheres when two distinct buoyancy forces are applied to the fluid. The heated inner sphere has a constant temperature that is greater than the constant temperature of the outer sphere by ΔT. In addition to the usual gravitational buoyancy from temperature induced density differences, another radial buoyancy is imposed by applying an a.c. voltage difference, ΔV between the inner and outer spheres. The resulting electric field gradient in this spherical capacitor produces a central polarization force. The temperature dependence of the dielectric constant results in the second buoyancy force that is especially large near the inner sphere. The normal buoyancy is always present and, within the parameter range explored in our experiment, always results in a large-scale cell that is axisymmetric about the vertical. We have found that this flow becomes unstabl...

A simple, compact, rechargeable handheld radio-frequency identifi cation (RFID) reader was designed to detect the orientation of tagged objects. The system uses a linearly polarized reader antenna and the orientation sensor of the mobile device to identify the orientation of the tag. The system works in the ultra-high-frequency (UHF) RFID band. Detailed testing was done in different surroundings with various materials and tags. The system was able to correctly identify the orientation in several cases with an average angular error of less than 10°. This system can also be used to demonstrate the concept of polarization.

The electrochemical behavior of Cu–Ni alloys with different Ni contents (5–65mass%) in acidic sulfate solutions was investigated. The effects of working conditions e.g. concentration of sulfate ions, immersion time and temperature were studied and discussed. In this respect, open-circuit potential measurements, polarization techniques and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used. Potentiodynamic measurements revealed that the increase in the Ni content

A new empirical model for the retrieval, at a field scale, of the bare soil moisture content and the surface roughness characteristics from radar measurements is proposed. The derivation of the algorithm is based on the results of three experimental radar campaigns conducted under natural conditions over agricultural areas. Radar data were acquired by means of several C-band space borne

Resumen. Este trabajo estudia las noticias falsas que se producen y circulan en la plataforma Facebook. Supone que las noticias falsas son narrativas que mantienen una estrecha relación con la coyuntura sociopolítica en la que tienen lugar y manifiestan discursivamente las posiciones de las audiencias polarizadas. Combina el análisis de narrativas con herramientas digitales para el estudio de la circulación de las publicaciones en la mencionada red social. Examina comparativamente una muestra de noticias falsas producidas en Argentina y México con relación a los elementos narrativos que las componen, el vínculo con su contexto, su categorización según su intencionalidad y recursos empleados en su producción y la circulación de sus posteriores verificaciones. Concluye que las noticias falsas son materializaciones de posiciones enunciativas extremas situadas en las redes sociales que se expresan en una construcción discursiva basadas en la figura retórica de la hipérbole. Palabras clave. noticias falsas; Facebook; narrativas; circulación; polarización [en] Fake news on Facebook: narratives, circulation and verification. The cases of Argentina and Mexico Abstract. This study looks into fake news that are produced and shared on Facebook. This research work assumes that fake news are narratives that maintain a close relation with the sociopolitical context where they are created and discursively voice the opinions of polarized audiences. It combines the analysis of the narratives with digital tools to study the circulation of the posts within this social network. This work examines and compares a sample of fake news made in Argentina and Mexico in relation to the narrative elements that build them, their link with the sociopolitical context, and their categorization according to both the intention and resources used in their production and circulation of later verifications. The study concludes that fake news are realizations of extreme enunciative positions on social media, expressed by means of a discursive creation based on the rhetorical figure of hyperbole.

In this chapter we explore the role of humorous memes in co-constructing polarized positions in contemporary US political discourse. Such polarized positioning, we argue, is mostly based on a disregard for the other that draws heavily on irony as a rhetorical resource. Our analysis focuses on the memes posted as responses to two different controversial Twitter threads initiated by the former president of the United States, Donald Trump. Through our discussion, we consider the importance of examining memes rhetorically as a way to highlight the different assumptions informing and reproduced both in Trump’s discourse and that of his opponents. At a broader level, our study contributes to a more holistic understanding of the role that polarizing discourses play in our current populist conjuncture, and their perils and potential in the overall struggles to (re)establish alternative forms of common sense.

Model was developed for the prediction of polarization characteristics in a dielectric material exhibiting piezoelectricity and electrostriction based on mathematical equations and MATLAB computer simulation software. The model was developed based on equations of polarization and piezoelectric constitutive law and the functional coefficient of Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) crystal material used was 2.3×10-6 m (thickness), the model further allows the input of basic material and calculation of parameters of applied voltage levels, applied stress, pressure, dielectric material properties and so on, to generate the polarization curve, strain curve and the expected deformation change in the material length charts. The mathematical model revealed that an application of 5 volts across the terminals of a 2.3×10-6 m thick dielectric material (PZT) predicted a 1.95×10-9 m change in length of the material, which indicates piezoelectric properties. Both polarization and electric field curve as well as strain and voltage curve were also generated and the result revealed a linear proportionality of the compared parameters, indicating a resultant increase in the electric field yields higher polarization of the dielectric materials atmosphere. Capsule Summary: Mathematical model was developed and employed for the prediction of polarization in dielectric materials using the concept of piezoelectrcity and electrostriction. Electric field effects on the polarization of the dielectric materials, as well as results revealed the change in length of the dielectric material demonstrating piezoelectric characteristics of the PZT crystal material.

This paper aims to improve current understanding of the subsurface fracture system in the Coso geothermal field, located in east-central California. The Coso reservoir is in active economic development, so that knowledge of the subsurface fracture system is of vital importance for an accurate evaluation of its geothermal potential and day-to-day production. To detect the geometry and density of fracture systems we applied the shear-wave splitting technique to a large number of high-quality seismograms from local microearthquakes recorded by a permanent, 16-station, down-hole, 3-component seismic array running at 480 samples/s. The analysis of shear-wave splitting (seismic birefringence) provides parameters directly related to the strike of the subsurface fractures and their density (number of cracks per unit volume), and, consequently, is an important technique to outline zones of high permeability. Three major fracture directions N10–30W, N0–20E, and N40–50E, of which the first and the second are the most prominent, were identified from the seismograms recorded by the 16-station down-hole array. All orientations are consistent with the known strike of local sets of faults and fractures in local wells and at the surface, as well as with previous analyses of seismic anisotropy in the region. The high quality of the recordings has allowed us to launch an unprecedented investigation into the characteristics of the temporal variations in crack polarization and crack density in a producing geothermal environment. Preliminary results point to significant temporal changes in shear-wave time delays, probably influenced by temporal changes in crack density within a period of 5 years (1996–2000). They are tentatively interpreted as due to a local ∼3% increase in shear-wave velocity in the southwestern part of the field during 1999.

What are the hopes and ideals for democracy in a time of division and partisanship? This article explores John Dewey's famous address, "Creative Democracy--The Task Before Us" as a repository of materials for theorizing a new approach to democracy in a polarized state. Focusing on the quality and variety of connections--actual, mediated, or possible--connective democracy denotes a new approach to thinking about what we want out of democracy, and what has gone wrong in many of today's fractured states.


<https://mediaethicsmagazine.com/index.php/browse-back-issues/216-spring-2021-vol-32-no-2/3999348-connective-democracy-the-task-before-us>

Control of the source and analysis of the polarization properties of the reflected light in a laser rangefinder based on triangulation offer a potential solution to the problem of distinguishing the primary laser stripe from unwanted inter-reflections caused by holes and concavities on metal surfaces. In this paper, the established polarization theory of first and subsequent inter-reflections from metallic surfaces is reviewed. This provides a point of comparison for ellipsometric measurements which verify the particular applicability of the microfacet surface model in our context. We demonstrate how a conventional laser rangefinder can be modified to discriminate between primary and secondary reflections. However, our experiments on third and subsequent reflections show that more complex models are required to provide complete resolution of the problem. Furthermore, error analysis demonstrates the requirement for very precise control of the source and receiving optoelectronics. We ...

Background/Context: Increased polarization of viewpoints in the United States may have detrimental consequences for democratic pedagogy. The goals of civil society require a reliance on democratic values, and active participation is necessary for a strong civil society that demands the common good be deliberated in democratic ways. Discussion as pedagogy has been advanced for furthering democratic learning spaces in higher education with adults and in teacher education programs. Opportunities to participate in democratic discussions may also be created in online courses to prepare students who are literate in multiculturalism and an inclusive society. Engaging students in discussion that facilitates diverse perspectives and that challenges taken-for-granted assumptions is necessary. Purpose: This article explores the theoretical frameworks of a pedagogy of process called a Socrates Café, resulting in a typology for an online Socrates Café. This framework may assist instructors to create and sustain purposeful online discussion forums that engage students in deliberative discussion to develop democratic learning spaces and civil discourse. If democratic pedagogies are enhanced when people deliberate in online discussions by sharing their reasoning with each other, listening to competing points of view, considering new evidence, and treating one another as political equals, then the Socrates Café has much to offer as a pedagogical process. Research Design: Drawing on scholarship from key pedagogical and dispositional components, this analytical essay offers a typology that finds its theoretical roots in several areas, including: philosophical forum, discussion and dialogue, critical inquiry, habits of mind, intellectual traits, critical reflection, and civil discourse. Findings/Results: From both the pedagogical and dispositional components of the Socrates Café, we develop an integrative framework for guiding the creation and ongoing development of an online discussion. Our purpose in creating the framework was to determine those pedagogical and attitudinal dispositions that were foundational elements of the online Socrates Café: clarity of thinking and other habits of mind; attitudes of empathy, confidence, open mindedness and scholarliness; and questioning and dialogue. Conclusions/Recommendations: This essay concludes that the online Socrates Café is fraught with unavoidable contradictions resulting in a pedagogy of process that is negotiated and dynamic, but also purposeful and intentional. The integrative framework proposed in this work

En #Republic: Divided Democracy in the Age of Social Media, Cass R. Sunstein presenta uno de los fenómenos sociales que más repercusión han tenido en el debate en política durante los últimos años: las cámaras de eco. El presente trabajo tiene por objeto analizar la relación que existe entre este fenómeno y la polarización política, relación que a menudo pasa desapercibida en los debates políticos actuales. Para ello, primero expondré los mecanismos que subyacen a la creación de cámaras de eco descritos por Sunstein en su libro, y examinaré los problemas que estas pueden conllevar. Y segundo, analizaré la relación entre cámaras de eco y polarización.

Media capture has received considerable attention. Platform companies certainly cause conditions that lead to media capture, but what is often overlooked is the way that platform companies and big tech are vulnerable to “platform capture.” Platform capture is defined as the combined influence of bad actors who rig the tech companies for their own gains, the threat of government regulation, partisanship and hyper-partisanship, and Silicon Valley’s contradictory ideology that favors libertarian conceptions of privacy, speech, and profit. This chapter discusses how it is a mistake to think that platform companies and big tech more generally are invulnerable to pressure; in fact, multi-directional pressure from a political communication network that platform companies themselves enabled stands to compromise the ability of platforms to anticipate harm and to meaningfully encourage the pro-social goals of a healthy deliberative democracy. 

...Indeed, big tech is vulnerable to being trapped by the same forces that boxed in the news media as well as new challenges specific to the technology sector and the blending of politics and political persuasion with digital technology. Platforms are hamstrung by profit model incentivized by venture capital that demands scale and data in order to keep growing. Hyper-partisanship and bad actors that further pollute our information environment and set platforms up for impossible tasks of moderation. Political elites threaten platform companies with regulatory action that in turn prompt self-corrections with potentially drastic consequences. Big tech’s own ethical foundations also play an almost suicidal role in this platform capture; ideological orientations and blind spots make spotting future problems and correcting existing ones difficult. In this chapter, I explain how platform capture is happening, first by explaining how political communication in a digital era reflects a destabilized information hierarchy, and then I discuss the vulnerabilities platforms face to capture.

Global concerns about misinformation have shed light on another escalating, and connected, international issue: political polarisation. After describing polarisation, its consequences, and its connection to misinformation, this chapter reviews research from across the social sciences, information sciences, and humanities in order to map out empirically sound and theoretically rigorous solutions to the harmful aspects of polarisation. These solutions are integral to building a new "connective democracy" in a world now defined by digital communication and the promises and perils of networked life.

*Citation:
Bruun Overgaard, C. S., Dudo, A., Lease, M. Masullo, G. M., Stroud, N. J., Stroud, S. R., & Woolley, S. (2021). “Building Connective Democracy: Interdisciplinary Solutions to the Problem of Polarisation,” The Routledge Companion to Media Misrepresentation and Populism, Howard Tumber & Silvio Waisbord (eds.), Routledge, pp. 569-578.

Many advocates of deliberative democracy see in the Internet a new opportunity for the development of public spaces, public spheres, and places where deliberation can take place. An important element of the notion of the public sphere in general and of deliberation specifically, is the quality of the debate. In the past decade, many studies have been conducted to evaluate online discussions in light of the ideal notion of the public sphere. However, a wide gap exists between theoretical approaches and the actual operationalization of such theories for empirical research. In an attempt to bridge this gap we develop a method for examining the extent to which Internet forums meet the normative requirements of rational-critical debate, reciprocity, and reflexivity. The methodological approach consists of a textual analysis of the contributions made to an online forum. The coding scheme presented in this article is based on a case study (UK Online) and guided by the theoretical notions of deliberative democracy.

This article focuses on the dynamics of polarization
emerging within Greek political culture in the postauthoritarian
setting. Following a brief historical framing,
we trace Left–Right polarization between the two
major parties of the period: Panhellenic Socialist
Movement (PASOK) and New Democracy (ND). The
party-based polarization of PASOK/ND was arguably
the main axis of political antagonism in Greece from
the 1970s until the end of the 2000s. By 2009, polarization
had ebbed due to an ideological convergence of
the two parties toward the center, but the onset of the
2009 economic crisis dislocated the established twoparty
system and facilitated the emergence of a new
political landscape comprising many new political
actors, most notably the Coalition of the Radical Left,
SYRIZA. Using a predominantly quantitative methodology,
we focus on a set of dimensions of polarization
brought forward or re-activated within the context of
economic crisis.