Blog Post #9 - EOTO: Echo Chambers

 Echo Chambers. 

According to GCF Global, an echo chamber is where a person is knowledgeable about information and/or options that will only fuel their own thoughts. In other words, an echo chamber is you only seeing your point, which causes you to be clouded about the idea of viewing other perspectives. This can create misinformation and stop a person from talking about the other point altogether. Ways that you would be able to recognize an echo chamber would be seeing if those you are talking to are only giving one perspective on the topic, it the viewpoint is rumored or not definite, if facts are ignored that could possibly go against the believed, or when you neglect to even allow to the idea of the other viewpoint to be brought up. Say you're in a group with people that all believe in one main topic or idea, then another person comes and tries to tell you their viewpoint, but it does not match. The echo chamber would be the original group having their opinion on the idea and not letting that other person try to explain their idea.

Echo chambers can be created anywhere that information is exchanged in anyway whether it is online, in person, through friends, or somewhere where information could be learned easily. The New York Times even says that online there are plenty of echo chambers that you could be accustomed to online. When you like songs, like posts, visit websites based off of ads, and little things like that go into the algorithm and affect what you see on your page. When things are put on your page from this algorithm it will feed into the things that you see and only let you see what you are are already familiar with, thus creating an echo chamber in your social medias. It is also said that an echo chamber is another form of a "filter bubble" so you will only be put in certain groups or pages that relate to the things that you already look up, this cancels out the rest of the world. You are stuck in a revolving circle of only the things that you look at and you are learning. Lanier says, "People tend to get into this echo chamber where more and more of what they see conforms to the idea of who some software thinks they are - like a Nascar dad who likes samurai swords", basically explaining that you become what you see and are surrounded by. Those that only see and hear specific things, will submit to those things that they are associated with.