Echo Chamber

                                       


An echo chamber is essentially when ideas are "echoed back", meaning people only see or hear ideas that correspond with their own beliefs.

Facebook, for example, uses algorithms to filter posts on people's feeds so that they only see things that they like or agree with. This is an issue because people are only exposed to one viewpoint, which creates a greater divide in ideological standpoints.

Have you ever avoided talking about topics such as politics or religion because you know the other person has a different opinion? You might get frustrated because they don't share the same view, so you block it out. Allowing yourself to discuss issues with people of different beliefs allow us to become more open-minded.

People with minority opinions would be most affected by echo chambers. If people push away ideas that conflict with their own beliefs, people who follow the minority will not be heard. It's important to be open and listen to everyone, so that we become a diverse society with a free-flow of ideas.

Although filtering out things we disagree with can be problematic, it is also simply part of our human nature. We tend to interact with those similar to us, which is known as homophily. We also tend to seek out information that confirms what we already know and believe, known as confirmation bias. Because echo chambers stem from our biological tendencies, we have to learn to overcome them and go out of our way to seek out differing opinions.