This chapter investigates political polarization and trust in government in the U.S. It applies Giddens’ structuration theory to explain how structures of digital media platforms foster feedback loop processes that exacerbate polarization through interacting with user agency. Current social media systems are marked by algorithms that are designed to maximize engagement, limit exposure to diverse viewpoints, and reinforce existing beliefs. These structural components have interacted with user behavior over the last decade and in turn have contributed to increased societal polarization and mistrust in state institutions. Data on these outcomes from the General Social Survey (GSS) and the World Values Survey (WVS) are analyzed. Empirical analysis reveals that American society has experienced significant decline in trust in the press, television, the executive branch, as well as Congress. The analysis also reveals that there has been a dramatic increase in the frequency of political discussions among friends, which has risen nearly seven-fold from the early 1980s up until 2022. Such discussions on politics are marked by polarization and function through a recursive interplay between digital media structures and user agency which are continuously perpetuating polarization and fostering ideological cleavages.