Breaking Echoes
The Context
The pervasive weaponization of media bias is eroding nuanced discourse, fueling polarization.
Today discourse is in a centrifugal state, where polarized ideas repel people from each other
The current force of information that we are subject to on a daily basis causes us to spin apart. This is due to the hyperpersonalized way in which information is fed to us. It's reinforces the "I am right therefore they are wrong" frame of thinking.
polarization noun [po-lar-i-zay-shun]
division into two sharply distinct opposites especially : a state in which the opinions, beliefs, or interests of a group or society no longer range along a continuum but become concentrated at opposing extremes
Fundamentally, polarization refers to “movement away from the center toward the extremes”
Fiorina, Morris P., and Samuel J. Abrams. 2008. Political Polarization in the American Public. The Annual Review of Political Science 11: 563–588.
Bipartisan Polarity is higher than ever.
In 1994, just 64% of Republicans were more conservative than the median Democrat. By 2017, that margin had grown considerably, to 95% of Republicans.
The same trend can be found on the other end of the spectrum. Whereas 70% of Democrats were more liberal than the median Republican in 1994, this proportion increased to 97% by 2017.
World Economic Forum (2023)
140,000
Constituents across all states quit the Republican Party within the first 3 weeks of the Capitol Riots. CATO Institute (2022)
62%
Americans say they have political views they are afraid to share. CATO Institute (2020)
a polarized state is a result of several interlinked factors
Online Echo Chambers
As a result of hyper-personalized digital experiences, people are finding themselves in bubbles where their own ideas are reinforced.
Declining Journalistic Standards
For analog media to compete with social media, journalists are now pressured to achieve quantity over quality - sensationalism and divisive rhetorics lead the fight.
Ideological Othering
New habits built over time such as binary thinking, absolutizing preferred values, reliance on deductive logic and motivated reasoning, etc.
Economic Inequality
With the rich getting richer and poor getting poorer, economic/financial beliefs are also getting further polarized
a state of polarity manifests itself in various forms
Reactionary Political Affiliations
Constituents switched between the Democrat and Republican parties during Trump's political campaign and subsequent victory in 2016.
Opinions About Opinions
People want to know if their opinions are valid and/or "correct", without being confronted in discourse.
Loud Polarization Online
Populations with extreme opinions form a loud minority online, presumably amplified by the news for clickbait/traffic.
bias
noun [bi-as]
prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another
bias interplay
media bias cognitive bias
bias interplay
cognitive bias media bias
bias interplay
media bias cognitive bias
media bias
implies a pervasive or widespread bias contravening of the standards of journalism, rather than the perspective of an individual journalist or article.
cognitive bias
The mind of the average person is layered with bias. We observe the key biases that are at play in political context. Politics and Media often weaponize these biases to fuel their agenda. confirmation authority groupthink coverage availability framing concision halo effect declinism
The Brief
How might we reduce political polarization between groups of people through the information they consume?
To a create centripetal state where ideological divergence is celebrated and encouraged
What if the force of information could be channeled in a manner that brought people together? An unbiased state cannot be created. However, the second best strategy for maintaining empathy, is to understand as many biases as possible.
The Intervention 02
Our approach
abridge is a news platform that embraces diverse ideas by gathering all perspectives and giving you the vocabulary to understand your opinions
free of judgement
key features
Aggregated Feed
Filtered and vetted news articles that provide information from as many perspectives as possible.
Bias Profile
The user profile is designed to give the reader a detailed dashboard of their biases and data consumption habits.
Guided Opinion-Making
A tool for where users swipe through pieces of information from all perspectives, to meditate on their own opinions, with an echo chamber analysis.
Conversation
A moderated discussion forum that connects users from across different echo chambers to build empathetic discourse.
aggregation
The aggregated feed brings events and breaking news from a plethora of news publications across the political spectrum to Abridge.
aggregation
The aggregated feed brings events and breaking news from a plethora of news publications across the political spectrum to Abridge.
Balanced representation across publications
Contextual and fact-based reporting
Exposure to more primary sources and reports vs op-eds
Absence of hyper-personalization in newsfeed
Mgmt
how its different aggregation
Expansive coverage multi-channel coverage publication bias tagging article-level bias tagging Expansive coverage
reflection
Our self-reflection tool aims to close the loop of consumption, allowing our readers to engage with different perspectives, opinions, and facts - curbing reactionary responses to events.
Multi-bias content
Contextualizes a report based on points that might not have been covered by legacy media
Mixed media including research findings, statistics, satire, and political commentary
reflection
Our self-reflection tool aims to close the loop of consumption, allowing our readers to engage with different perspectives, opinions, and facts - curbing reactionary responses to events.
Multi-bias content
Contextualizes a report based on points that might not have been covered by legacy media
Mixed media including research findings, statistics, satire, and political commentary
how its different
USER PROFILES
Mo t per onal reflection tool exi t in the form of que tionnaire , journaling application , and per onality te t
Some new /media application provide a ba ic u er profile but do not provide metric or data on con umption
Biparti an bia tagging (left/right/center) reduce nuance
PERSONAL REFLECTION BIAS CONSCIOUS
user profile
The user profile is designed to give the reader a detailed dashboard of their biases and data consumption habits. We aim to deliver data-driven insights that will help the reader think critically.
Consumption Breakdown
Issue-level Bias Identification
Learn more about your echo chamber and also interact with contrasting archetypes
user profile
The user profile is designed to give the reader a detailed dashboard of their biases and data consumption habits. We aim to deliver data-driven insights that will help the reader think critically.
Consumption Breakdown
Issue-level Bias Identification
Learn more about your echo chamber and also interact with contrasting archetypes
political typologies
USER PROFILES
Abridge uses the Political Typology Research carried out by Pew as a baseline to understand the bipartisan spectrum of political leaning to inform certain fundamental pararmeters of it’s user archetypes. Progressive Left Establishment Liberals Democratic Mainstays Outsider Left Stressed Sideliners Ambivalent Right Populist Right Committed Conservatives Faith and Flag Conservatives
The Innovator
Pew Research Cen. Political Typology
how its different
USER PROFILES
activity logs consumption metrics topical Bias metrics archetypes connection and community
BIAS CONSCIOUS MEDIA abridge
MS-SDM Capstone Presentation
Personality
The Strategy
abridge operates within a clear gap in the market landscape today; in the intersection of information, self-reflection, political participation and conversation
User Personas
While the product is aimed at university students and higher-ed leadership, we identify our audience based on their political temperament - rather than age, roles, and political typology.
The Loyalist
Head strong and clear on their stance - this archetype represents a key audience that are likely to fall prey to affective polarization and tribalistic thinking. Often thinking in terms of "us v. them", this segment are loyal to one ideology, one source of information, and one common agenda.
The Apathetic
A clean slate, an open mind. This archetype represents a politically uninitiated mind that has a will to participate but lacks the means to do so effectively. They are often more susceptible to second-hand opinions and vulnerable to polarization.
The Observer
An avid consumer of news and loves staying in the know. This archetype is a skeptic to say the least. Their opinions aren't swiftly adopted and the journey usually involves a multi- perspective view of an issue before claiming their position on it.
Why university students?
Total Addressable Market
18,939,568
3,982
Total Addressable Market: As of 2023, close to 19 Million students are enrolled in American colleges educationdata.org (2024) Business Case: The U.S. has 3982 degree-granting postsecondary institutions.
Principles of Business
Bipartisan Fundraising
Abridge’s 1:1 fundraising model will only accept investments from investors if the amount raised can be matched by another investor from across the aisle.
Impact over Profits
Abridge and its non-profit foundation are committed to impact over profits - even at the cost of operational continuity.
Collaboration over Competition
Abridge is not another horse in the race. We are here to elevate the industry through collaboration and knowledge sharing in the market.
Revenue generated from platform
Product Rollout
follows
Limited Launch (Beta)
Influencer Engagement + UGC
Funnel Users towards App
Mass Launch (Freemium) App Update (Conv. + Part.)
PREMIUM pricing model
From standard and premium pricing for individual subscribers, to enterprise pricing for subscribers from academic and corporate organizations - we have you covered. aggregated new feed reflection tool user profile recommended content access to paid third party news connect across echo chambers
Service Model
Legacy
Media Firms
Bias
Research Labs
Impact Investment
ContentViewership/Readers Licensing
Impact
Bias Labelling Engine
ImpactFunding+Incubation &Returns
PriorityAccesstoProduct
TestUserBase
Enterprise
Fees
NewsandSpacetoReflect
Individual
Polarized State Empathetic State
Polarized State Empathetic State
Tribalism
Othering
Insecure Opinions Discomfort Being Challenged
Open Minded
Compassion
Secure Opinion Making Open to Ideological Divergence
Levels of Intervention
app Foundation
Polarized State 01 02 Podcasts for Peace Fairness Doctrine Aggregation Conversation Conscious Media Council (CMC) Telecommunications Act Lobbying Efforts Led By CMC Reflection Participation Journalism Policy Reform
Empathetic State
Capstone Presentation
Vision for Impact
elevate journalism
elevate politics
fight polarization
join the movement
The Team
Shefali Dhar
Rishi Shankar