Polarization In The Things People Say By Elizabeth Kolbert

The short story The Things People Say, written by Elizabeth Kolbert examines the consequences of group polarization and cyber polarization using the outbreak surrounding President Obama’s birthplace and citizenship. During the 2008 elections the media spread the concept that President Obama was not born in the United States and that the birth certificate he produced was a fake. The author analyzes not only the falsehood of the story itself, but also the larger idea regarding the internet’s interference with extremism.
The tone was by far the most evident when analyzing this article. The author combines a serious nature with a sarcastic tone to both prove her argument and demean the underlying story. The serious tone is most noticeable whenever she discusses group polarization. It is easily understood that she believes the internet is causing problems by creating a new form of group polarization known as cyber polarization. However, when the author
The woman in red introduced at the beginning of the story was not meant to be developed. The intention of introducing this character was to develop Kolbert’s argument. The setting is slightly more relevant, but only in regard to the time period. Since this entire piece is related to problems with the internet, it was important that Kolbert’s underlying story relate to a time where internet influenced a situation. In the case of the woman in red, a video of her speech directed at the Congressman was posted online. As others viewed this video their opinions became influenced by one woman being misinformed. The solution which was a copy of President Obama’s birth certificate was also supplied over the internet to reassure the citizens about our president’s place of birth. With the time period being a crucial factor as technology and social media keep expanding, the setting of the story helped to develop the overall argument of the