1. How much diversity is right?
2. Is diversity really necessary or is it just an on again off again hot topic?
3. What is the solution to these "Echo Chambers", if there even is one?
In response to the third question: What is the solution to these "Echo Chambers", if there even is one? First off, this question is necessary because it is one of the underlining problems stated in our reading. People have gathered together, traveled together, and even died together because of their views/ opinions; so why not sit around and discuss topics together online? The underlining issue of these "Echo Chambers" appear to be people who have the same likes/dislikes, and its great that people can have that. The Problem is that they all have the same ideas (generally speaking of course). So my answer to this question is why do people care if echo chambers exist. This same Phenomena happens all the time and has been for hundreds of years (faiths, nations being built, clubs, etc). Should we find a way to make people find new thoughts and ideas? The world is very diverse, the world shaped us, so why don't we shape the internet as the world shaped us?
Why DON'T we shape the internet as the world shaped us? It's because instead of us controlling the internet, we let it control us. The problem with letting people who agree with each other on whatever topic, such as faiths and nations, is that it makes us oblivious to other ideas. Whether these ideas be true or not, better or worse, it expands the mind to more perspectives. That is probably the reason people care if the echo chambers exist.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kris. The idea of echo chambers makes us stuck in our ways and doesn't let us broaden our minds and allow us to take in new ideas. When all we read are ideas that reinforce our own, we stop even paying attention to the opposition because so many people have to us that we are right.
ReplyDeleteI think Erik makes a great point: echo chambers are not necessarily a new phenomenon. Chris also compared echo chambers to countries. This seems to me a valid observation.
ReplyDeleteThe question is whether the Internet is making the walls of our echo chambers more or less permeable. Weinberger seems to think that the Internet gives us the opportunity to break out of our echo chambers more easily than in the past, but I am not so sure.