Echo Chambers may be a term that not many have heard before but certainly have experienced.
Either if you are on social media or just browsing through new channels echo chambers are a common concept that refers to situations in which beliefs are reinforced by communication and repetition inside a closed system and are insulated from rebuttal.
A common experience that many undergo when individuals either on social media pages or online in general and only promote a certain belief which is then repeated in a variety of mediums around the internet and sometimes may seem that there is no escape from.
Based on this information we start to see the implications and dangers of such practices. Since the nature of echo chambers is to saturate the audience with specific opinions it discourages any new sources of information that may prove or disprove the topic at hand. It limits the conversation which is vital in any form of debate or informational transaction.
Now we have to realize that there is a variety of ways echo chambers may present themselves either in traditional or social media. This usually consists of some sort of contradicting sides. Such as in politics, we have either the extreme right or left sides of the spectrum. However, we see a slight difference when using social media, which usually tends to have more narratives and opinions.
Social Media is one of the most influential tools available right now and is one of the most effective platforms to foster this “echo chamber” environment on social media platforms such as Twitter and Reddit in which users can create sub-communities to discuss a variety of topics.
With the ever-growing variety of news sources, we see that it tends to be iterations of other established news sources. However, they also tend to incorporate some sort of bias either in writing or verbal delivery. This is why it is always important to take in a variety of news sources when researching a topic in order for you to have a broad view of the situation. Not only does this minimize the effect of echo chambers but it helps you as an individual to become a more aware digital citizen.
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