One of the dangers of modern media consumption is the threat of echo chambers as a trap in which people's perspectives are polarized and reinforced only one sided. Millennials who grew up getting their news from social media have tendencies to seek sources that only agree with their own point of view. Why is this so prevalent, and how is it harmful?
According to GCF Global, echo chambers are environments where a person only encounters information or opinions that reflect and reinforce their own. One factor leading into this selective process is the nature of big tech companies recommending media to consumers that they would like or agree with. An example of this is Instagram's "posts you might like" or YouTube's "recommended videos." Echo chambers are created when an individuals feed is clouded with material that complies with their views.
Echo chambers are not only a beast of the Internet. They can happen anywhere that information is projected. The Internet has made this exchange of information more rapid and large scale. This is why echo chambers are more common in people who consume media solely from the Internet. The danger lies in online algorithms filtering content for consumers that will in turn have no exposure to conflicting opinions or content. It is healthy to dabble in both sides of any spectrum to see the point of view of "the other side." To avoid echo chambers, seek news from multiple different sources from different perspectives.
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