The past decade has seen political polarisation – accelerated by social media’s filter bubbles and echo chambers – deepen and mutate. An ominous era of a polycrisis has shattered any remaining societal consensus. Meanwhile, powerful anti-establishment voices have stepped into the void.

Americans are increasingly only hanging out with people who have similar – if not identical – political beliefs as themselves. Amid political uncertainty and with echo chambers on social media fueling the rise of polarization, people are seeking comfort from within their own political groups.

In an increasingly polarized political landscape, The Dispatch is looking to establish a new mold for conservative media coverage in the US – one that eschews hot takes and ‘us versus them’ narratives and instead places a strong emphasis on journalistic integrity and community involvement.

Conservative-leaning social media platform Parler has seen its users quadruple in the build-up to as well as during the election. With some people feeling disillusioned by the content moderation on sites like Twitter, they’re turning to the self-styled 'free speech social platform'.

Social justice demonstrations and a polemic 2020 election have left many people in the US examining what it means to be American, and specifically whether they’re proud of that identity. Canvas8 spoke to Dr. Francesco Duina, sociology professor at Bates College, about patriotism in America today.