Polarization: A Poem on the Impact of Filter Bubbles
Merriam-Webster has chosen “polarization" as its 2024 Word of the Year. The word saw a significant rise in searches on Merriam-Webster.com throughout the year, showing the public’s growing concern over the polarized state of society. The dictionary defines “polarization" as a division into two very different extremes, where opinions, beliefs, or interests are no longer in the middle but are instead at opposite ends. A poem inspired from this word is as follows:
In the glow of screens, division grows,
Through tangled threads of viral flows.
A digital world, both vast and small,
Becomes a mirror, distorting all.
Algorithms weave their silent net,
Curating views we won't forget.
In echo chambers, we reside,
No room for nuance, no bridge to stride.
The feed whispers, "You’re always right,"
And dims the truth with curated light.
Divergent thoughts become a foe,
While empathy’s flame burns low.
Scroll by scroll, the divide grows wide,
Opinions entrenched on either side.
A like, a share, a fleeting spark,
Ignites a feud, leaves a lasting mark.
Filter bubbles seal us tight,
Two extremes in endless fight.
Opinions clash, understanding wanes,
As polarization scars the plains.
Yet somewhere in the binary haze,
A whisper calls for kinder ways.
To pause, to listen, to truly see,
The human behind the disagree.
But there’s a path we can reclaim,
A digital culture of kinder flame.
Pause the scroll, look up, engage,
Write a new story on a broader page.
Polarization need not define,
Our path through this connected time.
For hearts can mend, and minds can meet,
Beyond the screens, in the world’s heartbeat.
So, let us break the walls we’ve made,
In pixels and posts, let light invade.
Seek the middle, not extremes,
Build a future from shared dreams.
In connection, let healing start,
And soften the poles with an open heart.
