Confirmation Bias

The idea of confirmation bias links back to Erik Barker’s “How to Win Every Argument.” Barker references a study by Drew Weston. In the study, participants were subjected to media that contradicted their worldview. The results of the experiment showed that when someone’s worldview is challenged, they enter a fight-or-flight response. In relation to confirmation bias, Weston’s experiment can be extrapolated to confirm confirmation bias. People will seek out information that confirms their worldviews and in ambiguous media, people will manifest meaning that confirms their own beliefs.

As discussed in “The Confirmation Bias: Why It’s Hard to Change Your Mind,” satire is a perfect example of the American public’s confirmation bias when it comes to politics. For liberals, Colbert is making fun of the GOP, while some conservatives view the satire as legitimate content. This explains why political satire shows are becoming increasingly popular and surpassing the viewership of mainstream news. Satire captures both sides of the argument because confirmation bias leads each side to believe what they want about the message. On one side, a satirical report will read like an actual argument even though it’s meant to be a joke. On the other side, the commentary will appear so absurd that it is read as nothing less than a joke.

In another perspective, satirical comedy shows on networks like NBC, HBO, and Comedy Central help align people according to party lines. In “Political Polarization & Media Habits,” people are divided about the news outlets that they choose to receive news from. Because of this division, political satire could serve to only encourage the polarization of new networks and how people view media outlets. According to The Atlantic’s Caitlin Flanagan in her piece, “How Late-Night Comedy Fueled the Rise of Trump,” satire can also be propaganda by one side against another. In the example of the Colbert Report, the show could be viewed as extreme liberal dissent of conservatism and contribute to the current issue of “fake news” and general distrust of news outlets.

Whether the division is encouraged by confirmation bias or by media, the current political climate has led to extreme polarization of political parties, news media, and the American public.