EOTO 2 Commentary - Echo Chambers

Echo Chambers

What are echo chambers? Essentially, they're a sphere of ideas or concepts of typically one viewpoint, in which the consumer is in the middle of. 

Echo chambers happen when someone interacts with a lot of a certain content and news or social media algorithms pick up on this interaction. The algorithm begins sending the same content to the consumer, and the consumer falls into a dangerous trap of only seeing one viewpoint or one type of media.

This is particularly dangerous with political or radical beliefs. For instance, if someone began interacting with posts about fires, and they keep interacting with posts about fires, then the algorithm is going to show them more and more fires happening locally and around the world. Soon enough, the person is going to think the whole world is burning, and they may begin to have extreme anxiety that their house may burn down, their car may explore, or that they may spontaneously combust. 

While it may not necessarily be about fires, it can be about very real beliefs and ideals. It can birth extremists and radicalists who may pose a real threat to the community. It can also create anxious or depressed or toxicly positive mindsets. It also creates the false belief that more people believe in something than is true, creating people out-of-touch with reality.

Stay spice.