About the Scientific Consensus on Polarisation: A Guest Contribution to the Tübinale by PD Dr. Jürgen Buder

"United on the issue of polarisation?" – is the title of a debate post by PD Dr. Jürgen Buder (German only) on the blog of the Tübinale. This year’s Tübinale, an annual short film festival in Tübingen, will explore the theme of “Media Convergence & Polarisation” and will, among other things, examine the ways in which polarisation is interesting from a media studies perspective.

In his contribution, Jürgen Buder critically asks if polarisation could also be seen as an indicator of diversity and pluralism. The member of the Perception and Action Lab clarifies that the point is not to trivialise polarisation, but rather to adopt a more differentiated view of the phenomenon in academia. He also explores the extent to which (social) media fuel phenomena such as filter bubbles and echo chambers and points out ways in which polarisation can be mitigated via media and societal platforms.

 The feature was written as part of the blog accompanying the Tübinale. Several experts were asked to share their thoughts and insights in order to approach the topic from different angles. The Tübinale, which is organised by Tübingen's media studies students, highlights a different media-relevant topic every year. More information about the event can be found on the Tübinale website.