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Well, that's the problem, isn't it? People are increasingly retreating into echo chambers that present no contradictory opinions. And now those echo chambers ar

by mrj 8y ago

Well, that's the problem, isn't it? People are increasingly retreating into echo chambers that present no contradictory opinions. And now those echo chambers are being used to slip in incorrect facts and twisted opinions. People increasingly accept outlandish positions and the whole political spectrum is getting more polarized. CNN documented that the Russians pushed propaganda on both sides, once having helped plan a protest and a counter protest at once. Their plan to disrupt democracy is very much helped by echo chambers.

13years 8y ago
Aren't echo chambers mostly self organizing? I just see this as a general problem and not something unique to Facebook. Culturally we seem to be moving increasingly towards echo chambers as we are losing the social skills to be capable of engaging in dialog without immediately collapsing into emotional rants.
- caymanjim 8y ago
  Exactly. Facebook isn't dramatically different than your local pub, church, Elks lodge, knitting club, or any other self-selected social group. Singling them out and treating it like a new problem gives too much credence to the notion that it's a new thing. Think today's politics are divisive? Look back to the mass social unrest and violence of the entire 20th century (or farther, at all of human history). This is not a new phenomenon, and there's nothing unique about Facebook, the Internet, social media, or technology.
  - JoeAltmaier 8y ago
    Except its millions of times bigger in its scope and reach. That makes it qualitatively a different thing entirely
  - 394549 8y ago
    > Exactly. Facebook isn't dramatically different than your local pub, church, Elks lodge, knitting club, or any other self-selected social group. Singling them out and treating it like a new problem gives too much credence to the notion that it's a new thing. No. Facebook (and web echo chambers in general) are dramatically different. Because the available online population is so much larger than a physical community, narrower and louder echo chambers are possible. Back in the offline days echo chambers were more self-limited and internally more diverse, because the smaller pool of possible members meant too much exclusion would make the group too small to be sustainable. Now, every crazy fringe idea can have a Facebook group of 500 active members egging each other on, and use targeted ads to easily suck in every susceptible person.

by mrj 8y ago

13years 8y ago

Aren't echo chambers mostly self organizing? I just see this as a general problem and not something unique to Facebook. Culturally we seem to be moving increasingly towards echo chambers as we are losing the social skills to be capable of engaging in dialog without immediately collapsing into emotional rants.

caymanjim 8y ago
Exactly. Facebook isn't dramatically different than your local pub, church, Elks lodge, knitting club, or any other self-selected social group. Singling them out and treating it like a new problem gives too much credence to the notion that it's a new thing. Think today's politics are divisive? Look back to the mass social unrest and violence of the entire 20th century (or farther, at all of human history). This is not a new phenomenon, and there's nothing unique about Facebook, the Internet, social media, or technology.
- JoeAltmaier 8y ago
  Except its millions of times bigger in its scope and reach. That makes it qualitatively a different thing entirely
- 394549 8y ago
  > Exactly. Facebook isn't dramatically different than your local pub, church, Elks lodge, knitting club, or any other self-selected social group. Singling them out and treating it like a new problem gives too much credence to the notion that it's a new thing. No. Facebook (and web echo chambers in general) are dramatically different. Because the available online population is so much larger than a physical community, narrower and louder echo chambers are possible. Back in the offline days echo chambers were more self-limited and internally more diverse, because the smaller pool of possible members meant too much exclusion would make the group too small to be sustainable. Now, every crazy fringe idea can have a Facebook group of 500 active members egging each other on, and use targeted ads to easily suck in every susceptible person.