Blog #10

The echo chamber... Till this presentation, I have never heard of an echo chamber, the concept is very intriguing.

In today's digital age the prevalence of the term "echo chamber" is increasing. It is a phenomenon that online is an environment where a person only encounters information or opinions that reflect and reinforce their own. Therefore shaping our interactions, influences, and beliefs. This impacts the way we perceive the world and what surrounds us. 

Echo chambers may seem harmless or in a sense comforting because your personal opinions are being shared and affirmed. They impact society greatly. One of the most interesting aspects of echo chambers is their ability to exacerbate confirmation bias which is the want to seek out information that confirms our existing beliefs while disregarding contradictory evidence. It amplifies its effects by limiting our exposure to diverse opposing viewpoints. 

Social media shockingly plays a major role in enhancing echo chambers. The various platforms are essentially created to design a specific algorithm to prioritize what you want to see, essentially putting one's mind into a bubble. You are only shown what the app gathers you like. This doesn't allow for the viewing of different genres of videos and opinions.

Another intriguing factor of echo chambers is the negative implications they have. They create a division within society, and chambers insulate one's viewpoints. By enforcing homogeneous viewpoints, echo chambers hinder meaningful dialogue and the understanding needed between disparate groups, overall exacerbating social polarization.

There is ways to counteract this echo chamber effect. As social media users, we can advocate for platforms to prioritize diversifying what we view to encourage different perspectives. This could promote a more intellectually curious environment and result in critical thinking. This would diversify our media consumption habits which can help tackle echo chambers to result in more constrictive discourse in society.