Research Skills 101: What in the World Is an Echo Chamber? (And Are You Living in One?)

Echo chamber is a fairly new term, and I had to look for a definition the first time I heard it a few years back. Look at it this way, an echo is a sound that comes back to you and thereby repeats itself until it dies out. An echo chamber is when you are surrounded by voices saying all the same things you are. On the surface, this might seem like a harmless concept, but in reality, it can prevent us from hearing important information and create unintended consequences.

Over the years, I have been blessed to know a variety of people from many different backgrounds and belief systems. Sometimes we agreed, and sometimes we did not. However, what I appreciate is that they helped me learn how other people feel and believe about many different subjects. Most of the time, I didn’t change my opinion or belief on a matter after talking with them, but I better understood how and why someone else believed differently from me. I consider it to be an important part of my growth process as a person.

When I began to work from home as a freelancer, I spent less time in the company of a wide variety of people, and I found myself depending more on the news and online information sources. I lost touch with the human element of research because I wasn’t learning directly from others in a way which allowed me to observe how they felt about matters. I accidentally created my own echo chamber where I only accessed information to support my own point of view. After a few months, I became concerned at my volatile emotions when confronted with a perspective which was not my own. I knew something was off, and I started asking myself what was happening. After some time of looking at my research habits, I realized I wasn’t seeking opposing perspectives on issues. I was only listening to information I wanted to hear, and it was making me obstinate when someone disagreed with me. I realized something needed to change.

I began to get out around people again and make certain that I wasn’t just listening to one perspective all the time. I began to look up articles that didn’t support my opinion just to see how others felt about a subject. I began to curate my searches on social media, and then I would throw the algorithm a curve by looking up something I didn’t normally search. We’ll talk more about search algorithms in another post, but remember that search algorithms can lead you into echo chambers without you consciously realizing what is going on. All my research skills from school and work suddenly became very important. If I wanted to find my way out of the echo chamber, I would have to do it myself.

Just because we agree with a perspective does not mean it is the only one. Just because someone tells you what you want to hear does not mean it is the correct information either. Just because someone is in a position of power does not mean they are an expert, and just because someone voices their opinion on social media does not mean they are more qualified than someone else.

It is sensible to study various viewpoints on a subject, and it is wise to seek legitimate information from multiple sources on any matter. If someone tells you that something is factual, misinformation, or disinformation, don’t just take their word for it. Investigate the information. Remember that we each answer for our own actions, and the person who gives you incorrect information won’t be there to clean up any messes that information causes. When you place trust in a source, it’s best to be certain the source is trustworthy and not just seeking attention and power. Before trusting a source, ask yourself if they are intent on leading you into an echo chamber. Would this source want you to think for yourself? If not, question the source.

Finding ourselves in an echo chamber can be alarming because we realize that someone else has been doing our thinking for us. Sometimes the people that lead us into echo chambers don’t have our best interests in mind. They just want to influence and even control what we think. It’s vital that we not be so easily led by anyone who won’t take responsibility for any fallout if our decisions are wrong. If we realize we are living in an echo chamber, let’s take time to look around and be certain what we see in it is what we want other people seeing in us. After all, no one will look to our sources when they expect someone to take responsibility for what emerges from our echo chamber. They will just be looking at us so let’s clean up the chamber, kick out the echoes, and bring in some refreshing sounds.

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And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32, NKJV)