You may be thinking, what is an echo chamber? According to GFC Global, an echo chamber is "An environment where a person only encounters information or opinions that reflect and reinforce their own." Echo chambers can also create misinformation and distort a persons perspective so they have difficulty considering opposing viewpoints and discussing complicated topics. It is important to note, echo chambers can be found anywhere, whether that be online or in real life.
It can be very difficult to recognize an echo chamber, especially if you are in one. Some questions you may want to ponder if you have suspicions that the website or social group you are interacting with are:
- Does it seem they are only giving one perspective or side to an issue?
- Is that certain viewpoint supported by fact and evidence or does it seem to be based upon opinion and bias?
- Are facts ignored when they seem to go against that viewpoint?
If you find yourself answering yes to any of those questions, you may have found yourself in an echo chamber. When this happens, there are a few ways to avoid them. Firstly, it is important to make it a habit to be checking a variety of news sources when trying to gather information on a certain topic. Furthermore, if you interact with people who have an assortment of different perspectives and opinions, you may find a more accurate answer.
In todays day and age, echo chambers are much more likely to be found via the internet and social media just because of how many websites and platforms we now have available to voice our opinions on. The tricky part is finding the right websites to retrieve information from because as we know, the internet is full of bias which makes it hard to depict fact from fiction. Echo chambers that arise on social media are known to eliminate opposing viewpoints and differing voices. According to a study conducted at The University of Texas at Austin, "Due to social media algorithms that ensure we only see media that fits our preferences, we have found ourselves in a comfortable, self-confirming feed."
When it comes to comparing the pros and cons of echo chambers and based upon what I have said thus far, the cons seem pretty clear to perceive. Firstly, echo chambers lead to a lack of original thoughts, dissenting opinions, and challenging ideas. This in itself can limit our opportunities for growth, and steam healthy and necessary debate. Furthermore, echo chambers have been found to increase social and political polarization and extremism.
As for the pros of echo chambers, people are able to seek out information that reinforces their existing views without encountering opposing views, potentially resulting in an unintended exercise in confirmation bias. Sometimes it is nice to communicate with a community or group of people who have the same viewpoints, however it is still necessary to remember that just because you want something to be true, does not make it a fact.
Echo chambers can affect not only me, but my friends, family, and everyone else around the world as well. Fake news is a very real thing and is published and promoted all over the internet every single day. Going forward, always check your sources to make sure they are reliable and always remember to never trust everything you read online because you may find yourself in an echo chamber!
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