Visiting Voices: Spencer Cox and Jake Auchincloss, Cherelle Parker, Ken Burns, and more

“Bowling Alone” to scrolling alone

In January, a Republican governor and Democratic congressman came together at the Institute of Politics’ John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum to discuss national division, the “atomization” of our communities and public life, and the impact of social media on both the partisan divide and young people. Spencer Cox, the governor of Utah, and Jake Auchincloss, a congressman from Massachusetts, kicked off the spring term at the Forum with a conversation on polarization and the worrying power of social media to deepen divides. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and HKS Dean Jeremy Weinstein introduced the conversation, which Professor Nancy Gibbs moderated. 

“We’re lonelier than we’ve ever been before, where everybody’s bowling, but there’s no bowling leagues. We’re not bowling together,” Cox said. “And then you introduce social media and that just puts all of it on steroids.” Auchincloss quipped, “From ‘Bowling Alone’ to scrolling alone”—a nod to HKS Professor Robert Putnam’s seminal work about the decline of community engagement in American life. 

Both Cox and Auchincloss suggested that building relationships offline and getting involved locally may serve as an antidote to divisions exacerbated by partisan social media feeds.