Researchers conducted a study to see if social media could help bridge the political divide by facilitating anonymous conversations between individuals with opposing political views. The study used an app called DiscussIt, which allowed users to have anonymous one-on-one discussions about controversial topics. The researchers found that these conversations reduced polarization, particularly among Republican participants. However, there are practical challenges to implementing this approach on a larger scale, as most people do not engage in one-on-one conversations with strangers on social media. Nonetheless, the findings suggest that displaying respect for political opponents and engaging in civil conversations can make a difference in reducing polarization.
It doesn’t seem to be. One author declared a very small financial interest from twitter (~$2.6k) for offering expert opinions in this very subject.
I think the real point is that the current state of things with the division and misinformation is an intentional decision by the makers of current social media outlets.
The researchers show that the same medium can either sow division or reduce it.
Obviously ’they’ have chosen the worse road because increased engagement and profit are the only considerations.