.Divides have always existed. But a new element is the weaponizing of the internet. The ideal that the internet would be a forum for a healthy exchange of ideas has been smothered by the use of the internet to influence and manipulate. Ugly ideologies, bunk pseudoscience, disinformation profiteering have proliferated unchecked by the traditional restraints of threats of liability and libel. When any charismatic or attractive blogger with a sensational story is seen as an expert, the real experts are ignored and distrusted. Facts and best-information approaches to social issues have a hard time competing in a marketplace of ideas offering 24hr scandal and conspiracy.
What's more, people choose not to fact check, that is proof to me not only of disinformation but successful self imposed information control.
My business involves antiques. We laugh at the quaint and amateurish marketing of generations past. To sell a product they told you about the product. Today's professional influencers and highly paid psychological strategists don't try to sell a product they manipulate buyers. All-pervasive technology has plugged us in to that manipulation many hours a day, endless, relentless, tirelessly competing for our money and minds. Many consumers have grown numb to this with regards products and services but still seem unaware their politics are similarly being shaped. Many so-called news outlets were crafted with influence rather than information as the objective. Truthiness has nearly replaced truth. IMO, Our inherent weakness for confirmation bias and tribal identity have been exploited on a new scale through ubiquitous technology and manipulative marketing.