Bruni’s speech, “Digital Cocoons, Political Polarization and the Path Back to Common Ground,” was part of the Eve Marie Carson Lecture Series.
“It’s because I’ve been fortunate enough to have such a wealth of experiences and perspectives that I’ve become especially concerned about something particular in our country today, which is the way our culture, our campuses, our politics and our discourse has become so fragmented and tribal and polarized to an extent that I think our common bonds and common grounds are being eroded,” Bruni said.
Bruni began his lecture by encouraging students to appreciate their time at UNC.
He said we as a society have closed ourselves off. He pointed to his recent trip to China, where he found himself in his hotel checking his email and watching his favorite TV shows from home, as an evidence that we are no longer seeking adventure outside of our technology.
The problem, Bruni said, is not technology but how technology is being used — we have access to a wealth of knowledge but only use it to reinforce what we are already know.
“When we’re in our homes, we have hundreds of television channels at our disposal, and we have numerous ways to watch them,” he said. “We could flick from the History Channel ... to some sports and really experience the breadth of the world. But if we’re honest with ourselves, that’s not what most people do.”
Bruni pointed out how websites like Amazon, Netflix, Facebook and Google constantly track our preferences and use what they find to recommend nearly identical products. He said the result is that we live inside our comfort zones. Bruni said we’re doing the same thing with politics, and it’s causing increased polarization and tension between parties.
He said the key to breaking out of the categorization of our society is changing the way our universities are run.
