Tips for Discussing Politics Online (EP)

Political discussions on social media often become polarized. *Tips for Discussing Politics Online* by Essential Partners offers guidance for more respectful, productive conversations. It encourages self-reflection before engaging and suggests strategies like avoiding personal attacks, sharing personal experiences, and avoiding generalizations. With curiosity and active listening, online discussions can foster understanding. Read more in the post below.

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Read more about this guide here:

Have you heard? Discussing politics online is hard!

​This is not news to most people. Whether you've tried to engage in political discourse on social media, in comments sections, or on message boards, you've probably had the experience of a difference in perspective devolving into name-calling, bad-faith arguments, and accusations. 

Online discourse lacks the nuance of tone, facial expressions, and emotional resonance. You know some people well while others are total strangers. You're not looking into someone's eyes as you make your case. It's almost impossible to find opportunities for connection and authenticity. And some platforms seem designed to reward chronic polarizing behaviors, leading to a toxic environment.

This worksheet contains three sets of tips for engaging in online discussions, with a focus on social media. It may take some intentional practice before these feel natural. But once you get the hang of them, these habits will help interrupt the most toxic dynamics of online political discourse.

Resource URL: https://whatisessential.org/resources/tips-discussing-politics-online​

About Essential Partners (EP)
Founded in 1989, Essential Partners helps individuals build relationships across differences to address their communities’ most pressing challenges.  

Its proven approach enables people to live, work, worship, and learn together more effectively. Through richer, healthier, and more inclusive dialogue, participants strengthen relationships while gaining deeper insight into themselves, each other, and the challenges they face collectively.  

Essential Partners believes that the most urgent problems can only be addressed by those who live and work together every day. Relationships rooted in trust and mutual understanding empower individuals to tackle complex issues—ranging from partisan polarization and political dysfunction to interfaith conflicts and abortion access—without compromising their core values or identities. The organization envisions a world of thriving communities, strengthened by difference and connected by trust.

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