Ruminations on "Why the Big Divide"

(Incomplete at this point -- to be continued later.)

I have often thought (and said) that one reason long-married couples often grow apart is that they begin early in their marriage trying to balance each other out. For example: If one is a spendthrift, the other often becomes overly frugal in response. If one is quiet in social situations, the other sometimes tries to "pick up the slack" by being too talkative. Slowly the couple become opposites.

Likewise, I think that social media is somewhat responsible for the cultural divide in our world today. When a user expresses an interest in a particular subject or an opinion on a topic, the platform-managers direct more related content to that person's page. The user gets more and more affirmation for his/her opinion, He/she sees more and content related to that one interest. Consequently, he/she begins to feel even more strongly on the subject and has less and less connection to people with other interests and other opinions.