Post # 10
Nathaniel Bryant
April 23, 2021
EOTO Terms & Concepts: Echo Chamber
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In the "Mediasphere", there exists numerous concepts and topics that are seen in today's media whether in a public platform, journalism, activism, and influencing. Among these lies the concept of an "Echo Chamber".
What is an “Echo Chamber”?
In daily life, it is common to be surrounded by people of all types perspectives and viewpoints that challenge your own as well as balance you to think about the mindsets of others. This opens up the possibility for you to develop more rational approaches to ideas and scenarios with others. In an "Echo Chamber", this idea is completely thrown out the window and ignored.
An Echo Chamber is a group or environment where particular ideas, viewpoints, and proclivities are reinforced through constant and closed off communication within a closed space of influence or a place without space for dissent. This closed off environment becomes a "chamber" where these similar ideas are repeated so often it appears as an "Echo" to anyone that might come in contact with this environment.
Echo Chambers have some good and bad elements, that depend on the size of the group, radicality of ideas or people, and platform. For someone who wants to learn about a particular scholarly topic and got in contact with a collection of professors in a blog who all are informed on "said" topic would be a great environment for learning and meeting with individuals who can share great information in a constructive way. While this can be good, Echo Chambers tend to have more negatives on society.
Echo Chambers can be a place for individuals that rather ruins relationships with people and separates them for their isolation of thought. Echo Chambers are more likely to create polarization and push groups to the extreme. Whether you are someone who is not particularly informed on a topic, or someone who is informated and eager to share your ideas but have no one as radical as you, entering an Echo Chamber will equally polarize you. The issues where this is polarization has the most damage on our society is in issues that are social or political. The political and social divide between people continues to grow and rather than being able to communicate with others effectively, Echo Chambers poison whatever opportunity there is for rational communication.
For example, say you wanted to learn more about abortion and you don't know much about either side as you scroll through twitter. You see a convincing post that is a pro-choice centered and decide to investigate. Though you might already be pro-choice, the environment appears to be more convincing that others. An interactive space where you can meet and share ideas is far more convenient than reading articles and watching deep reports and allows the you get more involved in being pro-choice, not just for the political knowledge, but for the people you have interacted with. As you learn you notice there are a myraid of people talking about the same idea over and over that you don't know about such as "late term abortion", and through being already connected with the "chamber" you feel somewhat obliged to agree and join them. This process continues as groups on either side continue to spiral farther from each other. Echo Chambers like this push the people in the center who can communicate and rationally listen to the far sides of the social or political spectrum. This divisiveness creates a wall between people based on the prejudices and opinions formed from these echo chambers. These environments are far more detrimental to society than helpful.
The impact echo chambers have on people have no limit to who they can influence. To limit the range of influence on Echo Chambers would mean there would be no groups in general for the many segments of people to meet up with. Whether based on economic status, gender, sexuality, there is a group of peoplwith similar thinking patterns that are closed off.
Personall, I have not had man experiences being in an echo chamber. Not only do I not engage in social media often, I have been mostly an outsider in my closest friend groups in terms of opinions and values. As for my family they do not engage in social media as frequently as before which leaves them out of most echo chambers.
The impact echo chambers has on this generation is the most detrimental. There are more people on social media than ever before and they have more influence of outside sources onto him. The lack of communication combined with the fact people are far more politically divided now makes communication between peoples and groups with dissenting opinions harder adding more stress. Echo chambers in short, are a major spot for polarization, breaking ties, and radicalization.
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