Final answer:
Audience fragmentation is the division of media consumers into smaller groups based on selective exposure to media outlets that align with individual preferences, leading to narrowcasting and digital tribalism.
Step-by-step explanation:
Audience fragmentation refers to the process where media consumers spread across a wide array of media outlets that cater to specific personal preferences, beliefs, and interests, rather than a shared, mass audience consuming a more uniform set of media. In contrast to media homogenization where major news outlets report similar stories in similar ways, audience fragmentation implies that each segment of the audience is selecting its preferred news sources, often leading to narrowcasting. This allows, for example, Republicans to seek out Fox News over MSNBC, while Democrats do the opposite, resulting in a reinforcement of pre-existing worldviews.
The traditional role of mass media to reach a broad audience with a balanced view is challenged by this fragmentation. Digital tribalism represents the formation of online groups based on shared interests or ideologies, which can further deepen the fragmentation of audiences. The implications of fragmentation are profound, altering how people receive and process information, as well as affecting the societal cohesion and the shared understanding of events.