Are You Trapped Too? The Invisible Walls Created by SNS 'Echo Chambers'

When you check your social media on your smartphone every day, don't you find it strange that you only see posts with views similar to your own? While you might feel reassured thinking, 'See, everyone thinks the same way,' have you ever had the experience of being completely unable to communicate with someone who holds a different opinion?

Actually, this is no coincidence. It is a phenomenon occurring in today's digital society called the 'echo chamber effect,' which is quietly but surely changing our perceptions.

What is an echo chamber?

An echo chamber literally refers to a 'reverberation room.' In online spaces like social media, it refers to a phenomenon where 'people with similar opinions and values form closed communities, within which the same opinions echo and amplify like sound'.

Imagine this: in a cave where sound reverberates, if someone shouts 'That's right!', the voice reflects off the walls and echoes over and over again. An echo chamber is the same; your own opinions are repeated and reinforced by those around you.

Why are we trapped in echo chambers?

There are two major mechanisms behind the formation of echo chambers.

1. The 'Filter Bubble' created by algorithms

Social media platforms prioritize displaying information you are likely to prefer based on your past behavior, 'likes,' and interests. While this may seem convenient at first, it is actually 'trapping you inside a transparent bubble called a 'filter bubble''.

Inside this bubble, only information and opinions that interest you are displayed, making it difficult for different perspectives or opposing views to reach you. And before you know it, the world outside that bubble becomes invisible.

2. The trap of human 'confirmation bias'

Humans have a psychological tendency called 'confirmation bias,' where we tend to gather only information that supports what we already believe. Inside an echo chamber, because dissenting opinions and counter-evidence from the outside do not reach you, 'the user's existing beliefs are reinforced daily'.

By having your worldview repeatedly affirmed, your conviction that 'my way of thinking is correct' grows stronger, and your belief in specific ideas becomes unshakable.

The serious impact caused by echo chambers

Echo chambers cause problems that go beyond mere information bias.

Radicalization of thought and the illusion of 'truth'

Within the community, dissenting opinions are either excluded by algorithms or silenced by group peer pressure. As a result, 'the conviction that 'our minority opinion is the only truth' is constantly reinforced, and thoughts become radicalized'.

An even bigger problem is that the verification of information is neglected. People start to think, 'If my friend retweeted it, it must be true,' and even if they have doubts, the habit of verifying them is lost.

A breeding ground for conspiracy theories

People who believe in conspiracy theories strengthen their convictions through close communication with peers connected via the internet. 'The 'incorrigibility' characteristic of conspiracy theories (the nature of being unable to correct beliefs even when presented with counter-evidence)' is reinforced by group support.

Interestingly, it has been pointed out that there is a mechanism where pathological experiences, such as personal hallucinatory experiences, can be generated into social conspiracy theories through the echo chamber phenomenon of people with similar experiences. A single person's obsession can be treated as a 'social fact' by a group that resonates with it.

The Emergence of a 'Parallel World'

The most serious issue is the reality that, due to echo chambers and filter bubbles, an entirely independent information ecosystem where even basic factual recognition is no longer shared, or in other words, a "parallel world", has emerged.

In this state, it becomes impossible for people with different opinions to engage in dialogue based on a common understanding of facts. It has become a threat that is collapsing the healthy public sphere that serves as the foundation of democracy.

As a Weapon of Cognitive Warfare

Even more frighteningly, the formation of echo chambers is also being used as a strategy for "cognitive warfare" (influence operations) where states or non-state actors manipulate the thoughts and emotions of targeted groups. Attackers amplify content that divides society, spread misinformation, and form echo chambers to erode social trust and polarize public opinion.

To Escape the 'Information Octopus Pot'

Echo chambers are expressed through the metaphor of an "information octopus pot." This metaphor accurately captures the sensation of modern people being surrounded by invisible walls created by algorithms and ideologies. And once you enter this octopus pot, it is a trap that is difficult to escape from.

So, how can we escape from this octopus pot?

The following points are important.

Conclusion

Echo chambers function as an architecture of social division as individual cognitive biases and digital technology interact and amplify each other.

We need to realize that we are surrounded by invisible walls and make a conscious effort to cross them. Instead of surrendering ourselves to convenient algorithms, we should occasionally expose ourselves to different perspectives that might even feel uncomfortable, and think and judge for ourselves. That is the first step toward escaping this "information octopus pot" and building a healthy information society.

What does your SNS timeline look like right now? It might not be the whole picture of reality, but rather a "world to your liking" that the algorithm is showing you.