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a fresh perspective<br />
3 tips to avoid online echo chambers<br />
Make a habit of checking multiple<br />
news sources to ensure you’re<br />
getting complete, objective<br />
information.<br />
Interact with people of different<br />
perspectives, and take care to<br />
discuss new ideas with facts,<br />
patience, and respect.<br />
And remember, just because you<br />
want something to be true, doesn’t<br />
make it fact.<br />
WHY DO WE CREATE THEM?<br />
“Some individuals seem to be<br />
drawn to echo chambers due<br />
to so-called ‘confirmation bias’,<br />
which is basically a tendency to<br />
seek information that confirms<br />
one’s beliefs or values,” explains<br />
counsellor Magdalena Stanek.<br />
“Human beings like to ‘be right’<br />
and echo chambers give us an<br />
opportunity to connect with<br />
others who share our opinions.”<br />
It’s thought that individuals who<br />
participate in echo chambers<br />
often do so because they feel<br />
more confident that their<br />
opinions will be more readily<br />
accepted by others.<br />
Magdalena agrees. “Echo<br />
chambers might be popular<br />
among people with poor selfesteem,<br />
who tend to look for<br />
acceptance that what they<br />
feel and think is valid. To seek<br />
confirmation in such places<br />
seems a good option to boost<br />
confidence, and protect one’s<br />
self-worth.”<br />
ARE ECHO CHAMBERS<br />
PROBLEMATIC?<br />
Some critics believe that<br />
echo chambers can create<br />
misinformation. It’s often equated<br />
to tunnel vision; distorting a<br />
person’s perspective, whereby<br />
it’s not possible to consider<br />
other points of view, let alone<br />
acknowledge them. It’s also<br />
argued that we’re more likely to<br />
be taken in by false information –<br />
fake news, anyone?<br />
However, some studies suggest<br />
the effects of echo chambers are<br />
weaker than often assumed. And<br />
having a social media cleanse –<br />
making sure your online space<br />
makes you feel good about<br />
yourself – certainly isn’t wrong.<br />
But we need to remember that<br />
every time we unfollow something<br />
that differs from our point of view,<br />
we still need to acknowledge the<br />
opinion is out there, even if we<br />
don’t agree with it.<br />
Ultimately, it’s up to you whether<br />
you want to open up your online<br />
world to other opinions and views,<br />
but we think a little healthy debate<br />
is to be encouraged.<br />
Magdalena Stanek is a personcentred<br />
counsellor, specialising in<br />
trauma. Get in touch with<br />
Magdalena and discover more<br />
communication advice on<br />
counselling-directory.org.uk<br />
happiful.com | <strong>April</strong> <strong>2021</strong> | 15
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