Echo Chambers In Mass Media

Echo chambers in Mass Media
Echo chambers are another source of polarization in American politics. Echo chambers “[allude] to the idea of an enclosed communicative space that [magnifies] messages and [insulates] them from rebuttal” (Harvey 427). These communities are often used by “like-minded” people who have similar beliefs across different issues (Emba). The information that these users seek out often align with their narratives and political beliefs, while information that undermine those beliefs are likely to be rejected (Emba). Echo chambers are a danger for political consumers since the information being sought out may not be true and it could cause Americans to be divided in the basic facts of any news story being presented. Moreover,

Americans have a more active role on social media since they can participate in the content creation (Harvey 427). With this audience interaction, users reinforce echo chambers by reposting partisan content and affiliating with like-minded people (Harvey 427). Even more, social media networks use algorithms that lead their users towards articles aligning with their own ideological preferences (NPR Staff). This is described as a filter bubble, which is “when websites [use] algorithms to selectively assume the information a user would want to see, and [give] information to the user according to [the] assumption” (What Is a Filter Bubble?). These algorithms are made with the purpose of “[increasing] engagement, and [increasing] the amount of attention [spent] on” the social network (NPR Staff). Furthermore, these methods are responsible for the growth of echo chambers on social media since opinions that the users disagree with are hidden, and users are only exposed to opinions that reaffirm their beliefs. On Facebook, this has resulted in the creation of “homogenous, polarized clusters” where polarized content moves quickly among friends (Sunstein 119). This prevents users from seeing an entire spectrum of opinions, and they may reason that their beliefs are more prevalent than they actually are. In essence, social media is a factor in the growth of

These attitudes can affect who users associate with and harm personal relationships. A 2017 Pew Research Center survey found that 67% of Democrats and 57% of Republicans have a lot of friends that are like-minded politically (Smith). Another Pew Research Center survey found that “39% of social media users have taken steps to block another user or minimize the content they see from them because of something related to politics” (Duggan). These attitudes worsen the divide between liberal and conservative America since people with dissimilar beliefs are less likely to live in the same community. 50% of consistent conservatives and 35% of consistent liberals “say it is important to them to live in a place where most people share their political views” (Suh). This divide between liberal and conservative America is also evident with the “ideal community” of liberals and conservatives. 65% of Republicans prefer “[communities] that [feature] more space, even if amenities are farther away, while 61% of Democrats prefer “[communities] where houses are smaller and closer together but amenities are nearby” (Smith). This creates not only a political gap between conservatives and liberals, but also a geographical gap where demands and attitudes differ and people of both parties cannot understand each