“We live in communication universes in which we hear only what we choose and only what comforts and pleases us.” - Cass R. Sunstein (2006) ‘Infotopia: How Many Minds Produce Knowledge’. Oxford University Press.
Like a ‘filter bubble’, being stuck in an echo chamber can increase the spread
of misinformation and distort perspectives so individuals may have difficulty
being openminded and considering opposing viewpoints. However, whilst a filter
bubble prevents individuals from encountering perspectives that differ from their
own, echo chambers are an active choice to deny or ignore the validity of these
other perspectives.
Put simply by C Thi Nguyen (2018):
Filter Bubbles: Individuals ‘lack exposure to relevant information and
arguments’
Echo Chambers: Individuals ‘have been brought to systematically distrust all
outside sources’
As filter bubbles and echo chambers develop, people become more confident
and self-righteous in their decisions. As argued by Axel Bruns, ‘echo chambers
and filter bubbles are chiefly responsible for the emergence of communities that
espouse contrarian and counterfactual perspectives and ideologies, and for their disconnection from mainstream public debates’ . 82 Many scholars argue that these
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