The Social Media Echo Chamber is a fairly new phenomenon, only really becoming a prominent thing in the last 12 years and really being amplified in the last 5-6 years. What is it exactly? Well let me try to explain. Let’s say there is a film and it creates two different communities around it. One group let’s call them group A, love it while another group B hate it. On social media each group have discussions about their respective opinions which in both cases creates an echo chamber of people who all agree with one another and dissenting opinions are shunned. They look at the other group as the ones who don’t know what they’re talking about and neither side can really have a conversation with the other without it devolving into a mudslinging match where they end up insulting one another.
That is what I call the Social Media Echo Chamber. We’ve seen it with people’s reactions to films like Star Wars or other pop culture. We’ve seen it in relation to people in the public eye, in politics and at this point nearly every facet of life. How did this happen? What are the consequences of this?
Back in the day
Social Media has only really been a part of mainstream consciousness in the last 10-15 years. Before there were chat rooms but it was really with the rise of Facebook and MySpace that saw it become a thing. With these new platforms people had access to others across the globe and their messages could get out faster than ever before.
If we’re really honest with ourselves Social Media is essentially a publishing tool. We say what we want and send it out into the ether and then forget about it. Most of the time it is fine, the stuff we put out is fairly innocuous, look at my new cat, and look at my son graduating from college, etc. Over time though there were groups that started to form based on your interest and leanings. It’s here that we started to get the first glimpses of what would become the echo chamber, but since people weren’t as attached to their phones it wasn’t as big an issue. Most people kept to their respective bubbles and it didn’t affect too much in the real world.
The Social Media Echo Chamber Opens
The first time I became really aware that this was starting to become a thing was back in 2015 in the wake of Star Wars episode 7. I like the film and I enjoyed it, I acknowledge there are issues but it was fun. Not on the internet. You either had to Love it or Hate it, there is no room for a nuance. There has always been some tribalism, we all hold certain things dear since they may be core or important to who we are as individuals. For years you had people from each side calling each other names or belittling one another and the cycle went on and on. It exploded after episode 8 to the point people threatened others with death.
Now I know this is a pretty minor example, and let’s be honest it was over something fairly inconsequential. This explosion in people’s reactions has only really grown over the last few years. We’ve seen something that has always been fairly charged like politics explode and get even more out of control. The reason being both sides’ echo chambers are so strong it becomes impossible for either side to have a discussion.
What do we do?
Remember what I said near the top of the article about social media sites being essentially publishing tools? Well in publishing as a writer one has to hold one’s self to a higher standard and do due diligence. I have to make sure my articles are properly researched and if I point the finger at someone I have to make sure I have evidence otherwise I open myself to a liable suit.
On social media we didn’t have that for a long time. Now Twitter and Facebook flag posts that contain incorrect information, but many people argue that goes against freedom of speech. They feel that because it contradicts what others in the Echo Chamber tell them that it is infringing on their rights. This has had deadly consequences. That isn’t me speaking in hyperbole, people have died thanks to misinformation surrounding COVID, the riots in Washington and the fallout of them are a result of misinformation and conspiracy.
We are now at a stage where we all have to hold ourselves to account for what we post. If something is wrong or someone shares an opinion different from our own, politely point out where they’re wrong. Try to engage with them and bridge the gap. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy and you may find that people won’t be receptive. It’s worth a try though because the end result if we don’t try is a world more divided than ever.
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