Is the Youth Becoming More Narrow-Minded? And Is This by Design?

In 2024, Financial Times published a report regarding a concerning trend in multiple countries: there is a growing, immense ideology gap between young men and women. Based on the study, women aged 18-29 were increasingly leaning towards more liberal ideologies while men were increasingly learning toward more conservative ideologies. 

(Image from Financial Times) 

Generally speaking, this widening gap spells trouble, or at the very least, shows some causes for concern. This is because increased polarization often leads to heightened misunderstandings, less room for neutral positions, and decreases potential for bringing about meaningful change for both sides. There has been various speculations about why and how this divide has been exacerbated, but there is one prominent train of thought: the internet. 

The internet, namely social media, profits off of curating spaces consisting solely of the user’s interests to ensnare user attention. As a result, a common side effect of having a great “For You” page is that it can act as an echo chamber, reinforcing pre-existing thoughts with no consideration for alternatives. 

The main issue with this is that social media apps are not neutral. The Institute for Strategic Dialogue conducted a research study that found that YouTube’s algorithm is more likely to recommend users right-wing and religious content, which drives up to 70% of all video views. 

Not only that, algorithms on social media often promote content that increases engagement, which unfortunately is most readily available through stirring up controversy, outrage, and therefore more comments, shares, reposts—which then has been discovered and turned into “rage baiting” for many users to gain more views. 

When we have young, still-developing individuals being shown one type of content more than the other, shown highly polarizing content, and put in an echo chamber—one can imagine that they will become hard-rooted to their beliefs, resentful toward those who don’t agree, and unwilling to communicate with others. 

This all serves to reinforce an “in-group” and “out-group” mindset, which are terms used to describe how people identify with a group of people with similar attitudes, beliefs, and even lifestyles while identifying anyone who isn’t perceived as such as the “out” group. Psychology research shows that members of an “in-group” gain tremendous advantages over “out-group” members in various social situations.