The political compass demonstrates how a certain economic stance is not mutually exclusive with a certain social stance. This can hypothetically cause less polarization compared to the binary political spectrum as more nuanced views can be normalized. But in reality, does the emergence of the political compass really cause less division in political discourse?
Social Phenomena of the Political Compass
While the political compass can be credited to untangle a person's nuanced political opinions, it actually takes part in pigeonholing more groups or identities. This shouldn't come off as a surprise. When one finishes the political compass test, it presents test-takers a gift: a concrete association with one of the four quadrants based on one's economic and social views.
The quadrant one associates with can serve to become the foundation of one's newly formed political identity, especially to impressionable young people. Joshua Citarella (2020), a researcher in online political subcultures, points out that the political compass contributes to the "emergence of radical politics as a form of niche personal branding" and a mode of "identity play". Thus, the quadrant that one attains serves as a first map in their path of politicization. For example, if the test concludes that a person belongs to the Libertarian Right quadrant, they will likely follow and identify with the quadrant's "communities" and their ideals due to their shared beliefs.
We can encounter various internet circles that embrace their political-compass-derived identities. On Reddit, a subreddit titled "Political Compass Memes" has amassed 516,000 members as of November 2021. Even in its lighthearted threads that poke fun at economic issues, users have to include a "flair" that tells their quadrant. There, it is encouraged to identify, for example, as a "Lib-left" first before commenting on its threads. In Instagram, the account "the_political_compass" has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers, and is filled with memes and political "wojaks" that personify each quadrant. On Youtube, there are videos of political commentators such as Ben Shapiro taking the test, popularizing these political identities to its audience.
While these political-compass-derived communities can be dismissed as lighthearted political expressions, their strong social media presence cannot be ignored. The strength of these communities are heightened by how Gen Z users are now embracing social media sites rather than traditional media organizations to find about current events (Common Sense Media, 2019). As these niche political communities are rife in social media, it could potentially be the main source of unfiltered or intense political opinions to young individuals.
This emphasizes how the political compass and these communities are not an end, but are means of politicization. As people rely more on their social group for guidance instead of their own logic in forming opinions (Converse, 1964), and since each quadrant has their own "group", young individuals who took the test are more likely to mold their own political identity and views to be similar to their quadrants, ignoring their own quirks or deviating views that existed beforehand.
The social phenomena of the political compass effectively raises one question: to what extent do these political-compass-derived identities affect an individual's economic behaviour?
Economic Implications of Political Identities
For one thing, these political identities might change young individuals from being homo economicus to becoming homo politicus.
The impact of identities to one's economic behaviour can't be understood without grasping the concept of identity economics. Formulated by Nobel Prize-winning economists George Akerlof and Rachel Kranton in their 2000 paper "Economics and Identity", it states that one's economic decisions aren't only based on financial incentives, but also on their identity. It highlights how people avoid decisions that contradict their concept of self.
