EOTC #2

 

Echo Chamber

        In my opinion, echo chambers are bad because you never get a dissenting opinion. You never get challenged to think critically, and any preconceived ideas just get reinforced.  An echo chamber is akin to "groupthink."  Everyone thinks the same, acts the same, and has the same likes and dislikes.  An individual's own opinions or information can be distorted based off of another person's perspective.  Due to this environment, it can create misinformation and make it difficult for another person to consider an opposing viewpoint. This can create a divided society.  In social media it is common to see a lack of eagerness to engage with people who have different opinions. In fact echo chambers can happen anywhere where information is exchanged and echo chambers can be easy to fall into. This can happen with new articles, opinions on the internet, and lead to a decreased interest in debating. It's a negative environment for one's creative thoughts and critical thinking. 

        What I found interesting was a thing called a filter bubble.  I've always wondered why my computer would show ads that I'm "interested" in. A filter bubble keeps track of what you click on and then shows you content that's similar to what you're interested in, based off of what you clicked. A filter bubble is an algorithm made to do this, and actually contributes to the creation of echo chambers.

        Echo chambers can be influential in social media, with groups of like-minded people framing and reinforcing a shared narrative.  Personally, I have been aware of this environment my whole life. I don't necessarily agree with a lot of people. I always have an opposing viewpoint, and welcome the opinions of others. Some of my friends, and some of my generation seem quite gullible at times. Some seem to believe they should "go along to get along." Not me.  I also have younger siblings that I'm trying to teach to think critically, so that they are aware of what's bad, and what is good.  I also encourage them to have their own thoughts and work on their ability to express their thoughts to others, so they don't fall into an echo chamber. Sometimes, however, the best way to learn, is to learn the hard way. That's how I learn the best, but I already know this about myself. I don't normally make the same mistake twice. You live and you learn.