Media...and Politics

  With the rise of QAnon, the insurrection at the capitol, and far-right extremism seemingly at an all-time high, one has to wonder, why is this happening now? Of course, you could argue that the Trump administration gave a voice to these groups of people, which empowered them to take action and grow in numbers. There has also been evidence of more of a political and cultural divide now than the past few decades, which feeds into the animosity that some feel towards people who live differently. So, what can be done about the phenomenon of internet-born extremism?  It seems that we can not rely on the same federal intervention that keeps a close eye on foreign terroristic threats to take this domestic issue seriously.  However, there are experts studying how it might be prevented. One method that seems promising is to focus on media literacy. This has to be more than formal, school-based education (even though that is equally important to set a foundation of knowledge for our youth) --