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Speaker Hoffman: social media amplifies rancor; states remain policy labs
Summary
Speaker Hoffman told a panel that social media has multiplied the 'weapons of disagreement' and urged leaders not to participate in destructive amplification, adding that most new policy innovation now occurs at the state level.
Speaker Hoffman warned that social media amplifies and intensifies political disagreement and encouraged public officials not to contribute to that amplification. "The weapons of disagreement are much greater now than they were 15 years ago because of social media," he said, urging attendees to acknowledge that participation augments the problem and to avoid unnecessary conflict.
Hoffman also argued that state governments are where many practical policy innovations emerge, noting variations between states and saying federal gridlock makes state-level experimentation important. His remarks combined a call for personal restraint on social media with a policy argument for robust state-level problem solving.
