I will admit, before the presentations were done, I did not know what echo chamber was. In fact, I had never heard of the term before, at least not that I remembered, but what I learned was extremely beneficial. An echo chamber is an environment where a person encounters media, facts, and information, but they only fit the world view of the specific viewer, hence creating a form of echo. Echo chambers can lead to a tremendous amount of misinformation and can make it harder for one to hear a different perspective that is different from their own. With echo chamber normally comes confirmation bias, the tendency to favor information that reinforces already existing beliefs. Echo chambers are anywhere information is spread, but they are especially seen online as information is able to be spread at mass rates. The internet has a special type of echo chamber called a filter bubble, these are created by algorithms that remember what you click on while online. Often people say that they are willing to change their way of thinking if they find compelling evidence to help change their mind, but this seems to be impossible with echo chambers. In person, we tend to spend time with like-minded people, and with filter bubbles it seems difficult to find differing information.
Here is how you can recognize echo chambers:
- They only provide one side of an issue
- The viewpoint is supported mainly by rumor or insignificant information
- Facts are ignored when they go against the main viewpoint
Avoid echo chambers by checking multiple news sources, interact with people that have different view points than you do, and remember that even though you want something to be true does not make it true.
Sources:
https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/digital-media-literacy/what-is-an-echo-chamber/1/
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