Escaping the Echo Chamber: Ideologically and Geographically Diverse Discussions about Politics.

In the days and months following the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, everyone from peers to public figures like the President and the Pope called for unity and dialogue among diverse Americans. However, social and geographic barriers often prevent citizens from engaging in political conversations with those who have different perspectives. This brief paper explores the design of political discussions and introduces a variant of the Talkabout discussion platform to support synchronous, online small-group discussions about politics with diverse citizens. We share learnings from an initial deployment shortly after the 2016 U.S. Election and discuss opportunities for systems to support political dialogue.