Blog #1: Digital Echo-chamber

What are we learning if our ideas are only being reinforced?

A problem that many Americans have is that they think they are more educated on a topic than they really are. Freedom of the press relates to social media in the way that it gives people an outlet to create user-generated content and allow for their own voice to be heard. But the problem begins when people use their echo-chamber social media as their only news source. An echo-chamber, defined by The Oxford Dictionary in the video below, is an environment where a person only encounters information or opinions that reflect and reinforce their own. 

A digital echo-chamber is formed because social media users tend to only follow and like posts of people whose opinions agree with them. For example, if someone was a liberal and voted Democrat in most elections, a lot of their friends and followers on social media probably align with their views. Because of that their ideas are not being challenged, only reinforced.

The biggest problem that people face due to echo-chambers is that because their ideas are reinforced so much that when they see an idea that contradicts what they have been seeing and believe, they disregard it for its truth. Instead, they turn a blind eye to it. This would make it difficult for people living in an echo-chamber to partake in thoughtful two-sided discussions in the efforts to be able to expand their knowledge. In extreme circumstances, the user might unfollow or block the person who posted it, making their social media feed even more of an echo chamber.