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Social media is really paradoxical and interesting. I can tell the entire internet something, with just the click of a button. On the other hand, echo chambers

Social media is really paradoxical and interesting. I can tell the entire internet something, with just the click of a button. On the other hand, echo chambers are being created, and there's no easy solution to it.

craftyguy 9y ago
You're right, there is no easy solution to it. It will require cultural changes to 'solve' the problem. People will have to be somewhat receptive of differing opinions and to question their own. Maybe I'm just ridiculously cynical, but I don't see that ever happening at the scale required address the echo chamber problem.
adrianratnapala 9y ago
What is the current state of empirical evidence about echo chambers and filter bubbles? The last time I read about it, the 3rd hand reports I was getting said that they were less of a problem than you might imagine, because political junkie types actually did read stuff from the other side. Perhaps becaue, they were so into politics that they did some kind of "opposition research".
- gt_ 9y ago
  I think that’s an extreme minority, and the benefit would be limited. The notion of sides in political media deteriorates the conversation into an argument, which at some point undermines an audience’s fundamental awareness and understanding of issues.
bornonline1 9y ago
Sorry not sorry, echo chambers were created by suggestion algorithms and marketing. Algorithms prioritise same content on assumption that consumer want the same content (infuriating). And so many links nowadays are affiliated links. So the only way you can escape the echo, is to put a lot of effort, and no substantial majority will do it to affect the larger picture.
- gallerdude 9y ago
  I don't think they were created intentionally. The algorithms give people what they want, and it turns out that people don't want to be challenged on their opinions. It'd be like how if an algorithm was trained to optimize for deliciousness, it would probably create something super unhealthy.

craftyguy 9y ago

You're right, there is no easy solution to it. It will require cultural changes to 'solve' the problem. People will have to be somewhat receptive of differing opinions and to question their own. Maybe I'm just ridiculously cynical, but I don't see that ever happening at the scale required address the echo chamber problem.

adrianratnapala 9y ago

What is the current state of empirical evidence about echo chambers and filter bubbles? The last time I read about it, the 3rd hand reports I was getting said that they were less of a problem than you might imagine, because political junkie types actually did read stuff from the other side. Perhaps becaue, they were so into politics that they did some kind of "opposition research".

gt_ 9y ago
I think that’s an extreme minority, and the benefit would be limited. The notion of sides in political media deteriorates the conversation into an argument, which at some point undermines an audience’s fundamental awareness and understanding of issues.

bornonline1 9y ago

Sorry not sorry, echo chambers were created by suggestion algorithms and marketing. Algorithms prioritise same content on assumption that consumer want the same content (infuriating). And so many links nowadays are affiliated links. So the only way you can escape the echo, is to put a lot of effort, and no substantial majority will do it to affect the larger picture.

gallerdude 9y ago
I don't think they were created intentionally. The algorithms give people what they want, and it turns out that people don't want to be challenged on their opinions. It'd be like how if an algorithm was trained to optimize for deliciousness, it would probably create something super unhealthy.