By: Hammad Ahmad
What does it feel like to hear only your voice? How does it feel when you believe you are always right because the people around you follow the same path, ideology, religion, or philosophy?
This phenomenon is evident on social media. These platforms amplify echo chambers, particularly among followers of political parties, who exist in numbers ranging from thousands to millions. When individuals open their social media accounts to share their opinions, they often do so in groups of like-minded individuals. Social media has bestowed upon individuals a quasi-autonomous space to express their views on almost everything. Diverse ideologies lead to the creation of separate groups, which admit members who align with their cause.
Consider this: ten political parties and their ten official accounts advocating their agendas. This setup fosters a massive echo chamber where individuals hear only like-minded voices. Artificial intelligence algorithms play a significant role by feeding users pages, groups, and people that reinforce their beliefs. This creates an illusion of correctness, making users feel that they are unquestionably on the right path.
The fundamental issue with Echo Chamber system is that it contradicts the way humans have evolved. Human evolution thrives on adaptability. Over centuries, humans confronted challenges and changes with creativity and intellect, enabling survival and growth. Change is essential for adaptation, and the lack of change stagnates our mental and physical resilience.
On social media, the lack of diverse opinions curtails this adaptability. The ability to “block” opposing views fosters an environment where change is unwelcome. This, in turn, makes the mind more rigid and intolerant.
The effects of intolerance are glaringly visible on social media. Identity politics dominates the discourse. Supporters of political figures or ideologies troll opponents. Religious and non-religious groups engage in similar behavior. However, don’t these behaviors exist offline as well?
Yes, such behaviors occur in physical spaces, but their intensity differs. Offline, individuals may spend a limited amount of time with their ideological groups. On social media, however, access to these groups is constant—24/7. This perpetual exposure intensifies echo chambers, fostering environments that favor the majority while marginalizing the minority.
For instance, patriarchal attitudes in society often manifest negatively towards women. When these attitudes shift online, they create an even more toxic environment. Personal grievances, such as heartbreak, are shared online, fueling larger anti-women narratives. In the physical world, such sentiments might remain personal, except perhaps for expression through art like poetry.
Digital spaces, on the other hand, allow anyone to contribute to environments hostile to opposing groups. This leads to heightened intolerance and, in extreme cases, violence. A recent example is the violent protests triggered by fake news about an alleged rape in a private college. A simple post was created, shared, and re-shared by groups until it incited violence.
Echo chambers thrive in societies already steeped in intolerance. This intolerance is often cultivated because people prefer to hear only what aligns with their views, rejecting everything else. The solution lies in building societies that embrace dialogue.
Traditional societies often operate on monologues—a patriarch or authority figure speaks while others listen. Tolerant societies, however, rely on dialogues where individuals from different groups and ideologies engage and listen to each other.
Social media compounds the problem by enabling users to speak without listening. Passive consumption of agreeable content and the rejection of dissenting views stifle dialogue.
The real responsibility lies in introspection: Why do we follow certain ideologies? Why do we dislike opposing views? Skepticism and uncertainty are vital, both in real life and on social media. Asking “why” is the key to liberating ourselves from the echo chambers and intolerance that dominate our lives.
By embracing this critical mindset, we can navigate beyond the limitations of our current digital and societal constructs.