Ozean Political Blog
A political blog about digital media, data, research and consulting.
Campaigns, Ads, and Experiments: How Political Science Meets Persuasion
The new edition of the American Political Science Review (Feb 2024) published a study that I was extremely excited to read. It explores political ads and persuasion—those annoying little things on which millions of dollars are spent, and for the most part, are written...
The Audacious Public Affairs Playbook: What Bold Tactics Are Being Used
In political theory, two dominant models attempt to explain how power and public policy are shaped within a democracy. The first is pluralism, the idea that a diverse array of interest groups competes within the political arena, with policies emerging as a compromise...
Can AI Change Minds in a Polarized Electorate?
Rarely do I read an academic study that terrifies me. Well...unfortunately my colleague sent me a study that sent chills down my spine. The future is here, and we aren't likely to be prepared for it. As we have written before, persuasion is hard. If you’ve ever...
The Hero’s Journey in Politics: Lightsabers, Wands, and Brooms
"Ok, enough about polarization. Got anything else?" Leave it to a friend to let you know when you’ve beaten a dead horse. Fine, I went to see Wicked last weekend with my daughter, wife, and another 50 or so theater kids. As is tradition, I leaned over during the show...
The Slow and Consequential Death of Local Newspapers
News Deserts and Civic Erosion: The Consequences of Losing Local Journalism Local newspapers are closing at an alarming rate. Not only are they disappearing, but many are also merging or consolidating operations (looking at you Gannett). Since 2005,...
Understanding Political Polarization: Causes, Impacts, and Why It Matters
Introduction to Polarization I’ve written about polarization many times over the past year. It’s one of the most significant factors in U.S. politics today, if not the most. Typically, I focus on one individual study or paper, but today I want to zoom out and examine...
The Importance of Realistic Goals When Influencing Low-Motivation, Partisan Audiences
Introduction: Why Fast Results Aren’t Always Realistic A potential client reached out a few months ago with a challenging request: they wanted us to “change minds… fast.” After a deeper dive, it became clear they were really hoping to quickly alter a specific, public...
Your Momma Was Wrong: When being a Jerk can be the Key to Persuasion
Alright, listen up, you knuckleheaded jerkfaces—political debates today aren’t exactly shining examples of polite discourse. They’ve turned into verbal cage matches where name-calling, trash talk, owning each other after destroying each other, and cheap shots are just...
What Political Scientists Think We Know That You Don’t (But Probably Should)
Introduction Before and after every election cycle, I revisit a particular academic paper by Hans Noel. Written in 2010, it continues to hold up remarkably well, probably because it challenges all the flashy, data-driven assumptions that dominate political talk today....
Vibe Check: Uses and Abuses of Ideology in Political Psychology
I’ve gotten myself into trouble before with sweeping statements like, “Policy doesn’t matter...It’s the emotions, stupid!” Off-stage or after a classroom lecture, I always end up regretting after I do it because, well, it just sounds wrong—like I’m ignoring all the...
Do Americans Really Care About ‘Democracy’?
Introduction Ever thought about how much the average voter actually values democracy? Spoiler alert: it’s complicated. Recently, someone sent me an article from the Atlantic entitled "Only About 3.5 Percent of Americans Care About Democracy (gift link)" and it...
Affect, Not Ideology: Why We Loathe the Other Side (And It’s Not About Policy)
Let’s continue our exploration of polarization. If you missed some of our previous posts here is a recent list: Affective Polarization and Misinformation Belief Intra-party fighting – family spats or real anger?Affective Polarization Within Parties: When Partisan...