Echo Chamber is A Lie

If you’ve been following the recent online discussions about how people are getting tired of X-Twitter for many different reasons and moving to alternative places like Bluesky, you probably also saw many different versions of empty criticism of this move as well. This is just one example and most of them boils down to this: people moving to Bluesky creating an echo chamber and isolating themselves from people who disagree with them.

This may sound like a really smart and considered argument if you don’t know what people are actually avoiding and not tolerating in the new websites they move — or act like you don’t know on purpose. But since this argument seems to be quite popular in certain circles and promoted in many different places, I wanted to explain why it’s a completely made-up problem (unless you’re one of the people who others actually want to stay away from).

1. People are not limited to social media to learn about things

One major problem with this argument is that it automatically assumes that people learn about the world and/or follow the news only from social media, and it’s the only social interaction they have. If you’re thinking this way, just go outside and touch some grass. And also check rest of the internet outside the several platforms. (If you’re reading this one, that’s a good first step.)

People get their news in so many different ways and can learn about what others think outside of X-Twitter or other platforms. Most people are not as reliant on these platforms as you think. Plus, people socialize and have their social circles outside a single platform or internet in general. So unless they’re in a really isolated position (whether willingly or because they have to) this argument doesn’t make any sense. And even if they’re socializing solely online, this doesn’t limit them to a single platform.

2. Forcing yourself to interact with harmful or useless things is not broadening your horizon

Another major issue with this argument is that it assumes all interactions online are created equal and valuable. You may think that there’s something one can learn from anything but this doesn’t justify people putting themselves in an harmful position. No one needs to interact with people who openly wants to silence or harm them. No one needs to read about another bunch of threats, bullying or open attacks to themselves or another group of people. This will not broaden anyone’s horizons, especially when the goal of the other side is to become the only horizon there is.

When you try to force people into these harmful situations or force them to consume useless information because “they shouldn’t be stuck in an echo chamber” what you’re actually proposing is those people let others hurt them or force them into uncomfortable places. People have a right to protect themselves and none of the echo chamber shit will excuse trying to take away this right.

Also people are leaving platforms like X-Twitter because how much garbage it’s filled with. Accounts playing for algorithm, posting nonsense or blatant misinformation (which are then amplified by the said algorithm) are not going to broaden anyone’s horizons. So stop creating excuses for that garbage and act like we should be consuming that.

3. Why it’s only the one side that needs to get out of their echo chamber?

This is my favorite question about this issue. When you look at the echo chamber discourse, it’s never aimed at people who are actually living in an echo chamber and forces everyone to live inside it as well. You’ll never see people telling right wing groups, conspiracists, people who are targeting the minorities to leave their echo chambers and broaden their horizons. It’s always the people who are targeted by them that needs to learn from them. Yet when you look at who actually lives inside echo chambers, the answer is clear as day.

This is why I think echo chamber is now a weaponized term, just like fake news during 2015–16 period. Fake news was a term to describe conspiracy theories and made up stuff but then it turned into a political weapon used by politicians to target any news article or outlet they don’t like. Now we’re seeing a similar trend playing out with echo chamber, specifically used to target people who want to protect themselves from harm, abuse or bullshit all over the internet. When you accept this description, you’re helping those spreading the abuse and bullshit, simple as that.

4. People are smart and they know what’s best for them

Finally, this argument is simply assumes most people are not smart enough to filter their media consumption and find the information they needed in a safe and useful way. This is why they think everyone should be stuck on one platform consuming everything that comes into their way to keep up with the world.

For a while, I argued this was a major problem and people will need more and more filtering and curation to manage all the information coming their way non-stop. Now people are looking for ways to do that and all of a sudden it’s a problem because some groups are realizing that their garbage will be blocked by this change.

Most people are smarter than they realize and finally using the tools they find to filter all the noise and garbage they don’t want. This is why some people are really angry and defensive about all of the recent changes on the social media landscape and it’s kinda fun to watch them losing themselves over it. They don’t even realize the fact that they’re telling on themselves with all this drama.

My one advice: Don’t stop with just moving out of one platform. Actually take control of your media diet in any way possible. Use filters on the platforms freely, block what you don’t want to see. Go find yourself an RSS reader and start reading the websites and blogs too. There are so many different ways to take control of your internet use and I hope this wave is just a start for everyone who wants a better internet.