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The Origins of Asymmetry

This chapter examines the origins of asymmetry in the American public sphere by charting the rise of second-wave right-wing media. Taking a political economy approach, this chapter investigates how institutions, politics, culture, and technology combine to explain why Rush Limbaugh, televangelism, and Fox News were able to emerge as mass media when they did, rather than remaining, as first-generation right-wing media after World War II had, small niche players. The chapter also considers how the emergence of the online right-wing media ecosystem followed the offline media ecosystem architecture because of the propaganda feedback loop. It shows that asymmetric polarization precedes the emergence of the internet and that even today the internet is highly unlikely to be the main cause of polarization, by comparison to Fox News and talk radio.