MOB RULE: Jeffrey Rosen: America Is Living James Madison’s Nightmare: The Founders designed a government that would resist mob rule. They didn’t anticipate how strong the mob could become. “Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms have accelerated public discourse to warp speed, creating virtual versions of the mob. Inflammatory posts based on passion travel farther and faster than arguments based on reason. Rather than encouraging deliberation, mass media undermine it by creating bubbles and echo chambers in which citizens see only those opinions they already embrace.”

Related: Social Media as Social Disease.