Graduation Year
2021
Date of Submission
5-2021
Document Type
Campus Only Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Government
Reader 1
Zachary Courser
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
2021 Kyle M. Fendorf
Abstract
Mass media within the United States have changed tremendously since the 1980s. As deregulation became a dominant theme within the government, the Federal Communications Commission loosened regulations on the media and allowed large conglomerates to arise. At the same time, shifting conditions within the industry have encouraged firms to seek new ways of outcompeting their rivals and making a larger profit. A principal change has been to build media around outrage rhetoric. While outrage rhetoric has led to increasing profits for media firms, it has also had a profound effect on the public discourse within the United States. As outrage outlets proliferated and took up a larger space within the U.S. media, their views and rhetoric began to influence the electorate, especially Republicans. Politicians were incentivized to acknowledge the views of their constituents and, as such, a brand of outrage politics developed, in part, to the standards set by outrage media. A further outcome is the polarization within both the general electorate and the political institutions of the United States. Deregulation and associated media changes has also enabled the rise of politicians outside of the traditional mold, whose specialty is catering to outrage media and the voters they influence.
Recommended Citation
Fendorf, Kyle, "A Rush Toward Outrage: How Mass Media Have Played a Role in Political Polarization" (2021). CMC Senior Theses. 2771.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/2771
This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.
