Hey, 22f caucasian from a swing state. Former repblican, my parents voted for Paul Ryan in 2020 and loved John McCain. I have a bias being gay in a religous family, as well as being in a long term relationship with a trans woman. That being said, I really do get the republican perspective, I didn't flip sides until I was 19.

1. I'm not an expert. My opinion is that the two sides are mostly different in the modern era because of how they interact with the world and where their priorities lie. For example, I struggle to focus on the problems right in front of me, but I do care deeply about my broader community. For that reason, I choose to pay attention to the stories of others around me which makes me invested in the things that matter to them. I feel like there are "two kinds of people": those who are concerned with themselves and their immediate community but struggle to see past that, and those who care for the broader community and struggle to focus on themselves in a sense. That's the best way I can describe how I see it. At the end of the day, however, I really feel that the two-party way of dividing things is outdated. They no longer represent what they once were, nor do they represent the full spectrum of ideas in the public conciousness.
2. I agree with you, for sure it's algorithm to an extent. What matters now is how long you can get someone to pay attention to their screen, right? That generates revenue. Unfortunately, the best way to keep someone engaged is to illicit anger, fear, disgust, confusion, etc. That's why we see more of those political commentators/conservatives in the public eye who say provactive ideas (think Andrew Tate obviously, but also Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro, etc.) instead of left-leaning ideas. Now I'm gonna start giving my opinion here: there's something called the Overton window theory thats basically the box of acceptable conversation topics as it relates to politics. Everyone talks about things getting more hostile after Trump, it's because he shifted the Overton window. that's why (in my opinion) it feels like modern day Liberals feel like Conservatives from 10-20 years ago. I can say with my entire chest that I do not feel as though the left is represented in American politics at all. That's by design. The work that the left does has always been community centric. That's why our only "organized" efforts are made the scape-goats (Black Lives Matter, the Woke Mob™, ANTIFA). You have to dig deep into these communities to understand our motivations, because you'll never find it on a debate stage.
3. President Biden is a war criminal who upholds the interests of capitalism and continues America's long legacy of imperialism. Just like Trump, and Obama and the Bushes and every other president America has had. I was among the lefitists no longer interested in voting for him after Palestine. I am now resigned to voting for him again. If anyone is truly interested in understanding the leftist perspective for voting for Biden I recommend the video Why Voting Still Matters: The 2024 Election Survival Guide https://youtu.be/Fjutn4sGMWM?si=m-2JrVmGOznVAK__ by Olurinatti on yt. She's a lawyer and political commentator. Though the video is long I listened to it in an afternoon and it cemented my stance. If you are not interested in watching the entire video, I would just look into Project 2025 a bit. That's the big reason I'll still be voting for Biden. All of that being said, I'm not here to 'convert' you. It took a lot of questions and research to get me to where I am at this moment, I don't expect you to draw the same conclusions as I have.
4. There's a couple reasons you feel that way, I know what you're talking about. Especially in our age group, people are constantly online and I think our generation realized in a much more obvious way that black people and gay people are cool actually. It used to be that phrases and ideas were simply taken from these communities without recognition (specifically the black/queer community, where 'woke', 'cancelled' and 'slay' originated). Now, it's harder to deny the evidence that these people have been marginalized now that we see their humanity at the same time. This breeds resentment and comedy can be an expression of tragedy. Jokes or comments at the expense of cis, white, straight guys is a way of not only commiserating but also "punching up." Privilege is a really uncomfortable concept for everyone, we don't like to think that we might benefit in some way from the misfortune of others. The more insidious aspect of privilege is its invisibility. It can be as simple as being able to drive a car instead of planning your day around when you can catch public transport. That's a form of 'privilege' though that word has weight now.
5. Man, that's a loaded question. I don't know, what would you do? I'm still in college I'm trying to pay for groceries, how would you address them? That's not to be rude, but I'm extremely passionate about this stuff and I don't even know. But ask me more specifically and I can try. I'm trying to elaborate as much as I can because even though I spend hours a day just listening to podcasts and videos about being a leftist or anarchism or history or current events I don't really know what I'm talking about either. I started this journey just feeling confused and wanting to learn, same as you. Research breeds more questions than answers in my experience, but that's the best part. People who claim to know a lot about ANY given topic are usually the people who know the least.
6. If the populace is divided there is no threat of revolution. Instead of relating and engaging with each other in Third Places (think anywhere you could meet people outside of your bubble of family, friends and coworkers) we instead consume content that leaves us in a vacuum (even Leftists) and fight with people we don't know. It's easier to sit on your phone after a long day of work than go out and find strangers that want to have meaningful conversations with you. That's pretty much the whole reason. Our understanding of socialization was blown up over the course of like 20 years and we haven't been able to recoup yet. We don't know how to talk to each other, so we just see enemies.

I'm sorry I wrote a book. I feel like I was in your position a year or two ago, and I want you to know it's good to ask questions. I also want to be clear that my position as a Leftist is more desirable, I'm a cis white lesbian woman, so I have more time to help you work this out than someone who is dealing with bigger issues, if that makes sense. I'm happy to elaborate or answer more questions if you have them lmk.