What is An Echo Chamber? Are You in An Echo Chamber? How to Avoid Confirmation Bias | Conversations with the Browns

The Mister Brown Show

Social media has made it so easy to stay up-to-date with family, friends, and the latest news. But have you noticed that you keep seeing the same information in your feed over and over again? This episode pulls back the curtain on social media’s closed systems, their purpose, and how to reach outside your echo chambers.

Echo chambers are a metaphorical description of a situation in which beliefs are amplified or reinforced by communication and repetition inside a closed system and insulates them from rebuttal (en.wikipedia.org). Social media is one type of echo chamber.

Social media gives us large networks of people (a.k.a. more friends). Hearing from a large network makes us think we are getting a bigger slice of reality than we really are.

Social media is free to us because other people are paying to use the platform and sell products to us. From ads to articles, social media algorithms are designed to give us more of what we clicked on before. It is a kind of closed system or echo chamber.

This became very obvious with a simple search our daughter did online. Sophia went onto Instagram to see cake decorating images and pretty soon the entire feed to Instagram was taken over by cake decorating and nothing but cake decorating. Social media is designed to give you results it thinks you’re going to like and want to see more of.

Social media algorithms shape a closed system in a way we don’t realize. When we see something that contradicts the mainstream point of view it’s easy to dismiss. We think we have a diverse group of friends and information, but it is really shaped by an algorithm. The internet and social media are tools. We need to realize they are tools and see what they are really doing. We need to see how they can help and how they can harm.

What can you do? Start by having more actual conversations, face-to-face. Evaluate if you are inside an echo chamber. Are you seeing only one point of view?

Be aware. Echo chambers are not new and they can occur in other areas of your life. You can find yourself inside echo chambers with friend groups, at schools, and churches. It’s important to engage in these areas of life, but be aware of the echo chambers that can develop. Recognize the comfort you feel in your closed systems and be willing to incorporate other voices.

In a community, it is important to incorporate more voices. Your community should not just be within one race, gender, or age. Go outside your norms. Bring other voices into your community.

None of this means that your situation isn’t real or doesn’t matter, but it helps to put it in the right place. Being around varied groups outside your peer group brings perspective and wisdom. Acknowledge that you have echo chambers in your life. Have awareness so you can come to the table and know what you bring. Read more on our website LifeWithTheBrowns.com.

We want to hear from you. Identify the echo chambers that you see in your own life. Do you leave space to hear a different viewpoint?

Send us your questions and your thoughts. Let’s continue this conversation.

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