EOTO #2 REAC Echo Chambers

What is an Echo chamber? In class Paige Van Vooren gave a phenomenal presentation discussing the term "Echo Chamber" and what it means in reference to the Media Sphere. Ms. Van Vooren described that an Echo Chamber occurs when "an individual only has interactions with information, people, or sources that reinforce a specific narrative that is in line with their own views,” to simplify, an echo chamber occurs when a person is surrounded by information that confirms what they believe. 

"Echo Chamber"

When doing my own personal research on the topic I stumbled across this Youtube video on LearnFree’s Youtube channel. It confirms a lot of the ideas Ms. Van Vooren was discussing in her presentation and also mentions that Echo Chambers can also occur outside of the internet and in person. I thought this was particularly interesting, that if you choose to surround yourself with likeminded people you're actively participating in forming an Echo Chamber around your thoughts. 

Frame from the previously stated Youtube video.

Also by being an active participant in an Echo Chamber you're actively preventing yourself from gaining or learning new information that could be beneficial to you. Ms. Van Vooren mentions anti-vaxxers as an example, she stated that because they surround themselves with other anti-vaxxers it's harder for them to understand health information that they do not believe in themselves. This in turn creates a health and safety risk to society. 

One more thing to touch on when discussing Echo Chambers is how to break the cycle. Ms. Van Vooren and the video above discuss asking yourself questions pertaining to the sources and people you surround yourself with. It tells you to think if you're surrounded only by people who confirm your ideals and if the new sources you're branching out or reading are only giving the same feedback or conclusions similar to your own. Ms. Van Vooren suggests searching for other sources of media even if they do not inherently agree with your own ideals.