Echo Chamber
Definition
There are multiple ways that you
could define an echo chamber. The simplest one is that it is a situation in
which one seeks out information that will reinforce one’s own ideas or beliefs
without ever encountering any opposing views or information. Echo chambers are
often related to the idea of confirmation bias with echo chambers often leading
to confirmation bias in people. The reason for why echo chambers are related to
confirmation bias is due to the idea that people will go online looking for
information to reinforce their ideas or beliefs. If they are directed and stuck
in an echo chamber they will only find information that says they are correct.
This leads them to believe that they are correct without fact checking or
looking for new information. The reason that this concept is called an echo
chamber is due to the relationship that this idea has with confined spaces or
areas. In these spaces people will look for information and the idea that your
beliefs are echoed back to you.
Examples
There are a lot of examples of echo
chambers both online and not but the most well-known and often the biggest tend
to be online communities. Many of these communities are on social media
platforms such as Face book and twitter. Most people will join these groups
based around a single idea and kick out anyone that disagrees with the common
concept or try to prove them wrong. Another great example must be reddit and
its communities that will often gang up on opposing view and threaten people or
other groups that disagree with them. Now let us look at the most well-known of
these communities: the flat earth society. They have multiple different groups
and chat rooms on all different platforms including their own website that are
focused on just repeating the ideas and beliefs that they have. They also use
their own twisted information to denounce other people’s facts and beliefs. If
you don’t believe me, try going on one of their communities like Facebook and
post something like a meme about how they are wrong it will at least give you a
funny reaction out of them. Also, if you believe that echo chambers are only
online then you would be wrong. There are many in person groups that meet and basically
cause an echo chamber effect to occur. One example of these groups is with the Westbrook
Baptist Church. These people where convinced by their pastor Fred Phelps that his
ideas and belief that God was punishing the US for its tolerance of
homosexuality. This echo chamber at the church lead to multiple protest with
signs saying everything from "God Hates the USA/Thank God for 9/11,"
"Thank God for Dead Soldiers," and "Don't Pray for the
USA.". While this is one of the more extreme examples of an echo chamber and
its effects on the world in real life it is still one of the more well-known
echo chambers that occurred.
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