Conversations about politics and culture can feel like walking on eggshells. Extremists on each side often demonize their opponents, and it sometimes seems there is little space for nuance. This phenomenon is known as polarization, where opposing sides appear to be so far away from each other that it is hard to find a middle ground. The raging culture wars can make it frightening to publish articles on sensitive topics under the scrutiny of social media. Debates can quickly spiral out of control, leading to cyber-stalking and online harassment.

During the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial, The Stony Brook Press, a student-run culture magazine, published an opinion piece on the imbalance of power between the two Hollywood stars. A day later, it was picked up by Johnny Depp supporters on X (Twitter).

"It started out with someone retweeting it, praising the article, but then it quickly went in the other direction where a lot of Johnny Depp fans, I guess, saw the tweet, and there were really reactionary responses."

Antonio Mochmann, business manager of The Stony Brook Press

The post went viral, garnering 29,000 impressions and 205 replies. Messages like "What is wrong with you?" and "Just shut up!" were not uncommon. The whole article got blown out of proportion. People were accusing a student-run magazine of doing PR for Amber Heard and gaslighting the audience. "I realized people weren't even reading what I had written," said Mochmann.

The political divisions in the U.S. can feel scary as a citizen, but it can be uniquely nerve-wracking for journalists to report on polarization when they are targeted as "enemies of the people". Photographer Nate Gowdy was on the frontline when supporters of Donald Trump rioted at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in a bid to stop Congress certifying Joe Biden's election victory.

"I was attacked twice. I should have been more scared than I was. I think there's a lot of adrenaline from everyone there. Sometimes you can mix fear up with excitement."

Nate Gowdy, freelance photographer

Gowdy's coverage became the basis of his book, Insurrection. He has photographed over 200 Donald Trump rallies from 2016-2024, and has seen protests turn into street violence. "My trauma is from being in survival mode for so long," he said.

A study on polarization by the Pew Research Center highlights the dangers of ideological siloing, which drives people to surround themselves by those who share their opinions. Leah Sottile, a journalist and podcast host based in Portland, Oregon, has experienced the trauma of reporting on U.S. culture wars at first hand.

"We'll be talking about 2020 forever. You had Covid, you had Black Lives Matter. You already had huge political divisions in America, extremism all over the place . . . I was the only person wearing a mask at an anti-mask rally, and some guy came up and punched me in the arm. That sucked."

Leah Sottile, writer and podcaster

Threats on social media can also become terrifyingly real. Users can sit behind phone screens, threatening journalists from the comfort of their couch. Christina Lamb, chief foreign correspondent of the Sunday Times of London, has experienced physical danger in many war zones. But she was unprepared for the violence of the online reaction to her report on the funeral of Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II's consort, which cited one of his famously off-color jokes.

"We had to move out of our house because we had so many death threats. My husband and my son got online abuse . . . And it was horrible. I found it really, really difficult. It felt like everything I've ever done was being questioned."

Christina Lamb, chief foreign correspondent, the Sunday Times of London

If you are facing online harassment, make sure to stay safe, document the abuse and talk to your editor or employer. Importantly, don't be afraid to use one of social media's most useful tools -- the block, mute and report buttons.