The “Big Sort” is the idea that we like to surround ourselves with those who are similar to us, thereby sorting ourselves into distinct groups. The political party we align with generally is the main determining factor in these groupings— we like being around people that agree with us because we like to think that our beliefs are more credible. We generally tune in to news sources that align with our views, and only pay attention to candidates from our own parties.
When surrounded by only their own beliefs, people can keep building more and more support for their viewpoints, so their ideologies become more and more extreme since they never meet any competition. I think this explains what I’ve observed in this election versus past elections. While in the 2008 and 2012 elections the candidates were more centric, I feel that in recent years and in this upcoming presidential race, our interest in candidates has been polarizing. Such strong support for Bernie Sanders (an extremely liberal candidate) and Donald Trump (an extremely conservative candidate), indicates that our political stances are becoming more saturated as we spend more time inundated in our own ideas. Maybe this is just a coincidence, but I definitely think it's interesting that overtime we're polarizing politically and this could possible be an explanation.
When surrounded by only their own beliefs, people can keep building more and more support for their viewpoints, so their ideologies become more and more extreme since they never meet any competition. I think this explains what I’ve observed in this election versus past elections. While in the 2008 and 2012 elections the candidates were more centric, I feel that in recent years and in this upcoming presidential race, our interest in candidates has been polarizing. Such strong support for Bernie Sanders (an extremely liberal candidate) and Donald Trump (an extremely conservative candidate), indicates that our political stances are becoming more saturated as we spend more time inundated in our own ideas. Maybe this is just a coincidence, but I definitely think it's interesting that overtime we're polarizing politically and this could possible be an explanation.