When exploring the internet, you may encounter someone with an overly eccentric opinion. These opinions can be so extreme and out there that it’s difficult to believe anyone would ever believe them, yet some people do. Often these views or opinions would have no place in the real world, yet they seem to thrive online. This is because of internet echo chambers, an odd phenomenon that creates extreme and eccentric views you rarely find in the real world.

 What are Internet Echo Chambers?

Internet echo chambers are phenomena found online in which people with similar views spout the same ideas back and forth, leading them to become more extreme. Think of an echo shouting the same things you’re saying but twice as loud back at you. This often happens when a person posts a view or idea they have online, and then is met with support from others who have the same views. At first, this may seem great, but it can often lead to once-innocent ideas becoming more twisted. This is because those with similar views tend to enable each other because of their similar views. People who fall victim to internet echo chambers are also commonly referred to as people who are “chronically online”, as the longer you’re on the internet the easier it is to fall prey to internet echo chambers.

For example, say someone posts about how people who cheat on their partners suck and gets a large amount of support. Now what if someone comments under that post says that if you cheat you deserve to have your car keyed? Some people who initially agreed with the idea that cheaters suck may agree with this idea too, since it follows the same ideology that people who cheat suck. Then what if those comments soon turn into posts about destroying the property of those who cheat is okay, and under those posts people comment that all cheaters should go to jail, even if they committed no crime? What originally was an innocent post about an opinion most can agree with can quietly turn into harmful thoughts. Thoughts that when acted upon will break the law. While this is all a hypothetical example, it mirrors what happens in online spaces where people accept views similar to theirs even if those views are not right.

How Internet Echo Chambers Affect Our Perception of the Real World

Echo chambers found online not only create extreme viewpoints or opinions but can affect a person’s social life in the real world. If a person who is in an internet echo chamber interacts with other people in daily life, they might assume they have the same beliefs they do. This is because when they interact with people online, most of them interact with people who have similar views to them. Since everyone they encounter online has their views, they begin to believe everyone they encounter in real life also shares those views. This can lead to a sense of betrayal or anger once they realize that people who they know don’t share those views. This can cause a person to break off relationships or avoid others because they don’t want to be affiliated with people who have different beliefs than them.

Avoiding Echo Chambers

It’s difficult to know when you are stuck in an internet echo chamber, as algorithms used online in many social media platforms are made to cater to your taste. The more you interact with certain types of content the more of that content will show up. A tell-tell sign that you are falling into an echo chamber is talking or complaining about things that don’t often happen in real life. If you wouldn’t have this type of conversation in real life, or nobody in real life would ever care about this topic. An example would be Flat Earthers, who online have a dedicated community, but if you were to say the Earth is flat in real life, most people would think that you’re joking and not take you seriously. There are many strategies that you can use to avoid internet echo chambers:

• Not using the internet; you can’t fall into an internet echo chamber if you’re not on the internet
• Develop media literacy skills; finding the deeper meaning of language and why someone might use that language can help better understand a person’s intentions when speaking online
• Using critical thinking skills; think before you believe, is this true? Does it make sense? What does a person gain by saying this?
• Don’t fall for emotional appeals; don’t let emotions dictate what you believe online, although a post may make you feel something, think logically before taking a stance on a topic or interacting. Many users online will bait your attention by using your emotions, don’t interact or respond to them.
• Research; don’t take things at face value, always fact-check or look for sources before taking a stance on a topic.

Overall

Internet echo chambers are a danger online that not many know about, leading to dangerous views. Always be vigilant online and wary of what others say, as they don’t always have your best interest at heart. Being aware and critical of what you consume online will help prevent you from falling victim to an internet echo chamber.