The internet has made it easier than ever before to interact with other people. Most people have many friends in their social media circles who think like them, and some go as far as having nothing but those kinds of people as online friends. Even those who have friends with different perspectives can still occasionally wind up in echo chambers for days at a time, and maybe even longer. While this can be useful for certain things, it can also cause major problems. This post will examine some of those problems and offer solutions for them.
Those who spend excessive amounts of time in echo chambers tend to suffer in the long run. They’ll learn a lot about the arguments in favor of whatever ideas are being discussed in the echo chamber, but they’re much less likely to hear arguments against them. And by being around so many people who agree with them, they can forget what it’s like to be around people who disagree with them. Both of these will tend to make people who spend too much time in echo chambers less able to relate to those outside the echo chambers as well as less likely to critically examine their own views (and thereby less likely to find flaws in their reasoning, improve their arguments, or abandon some old ideas in favor of new ones). If they’re not careful, this can also cause them to see people who disagree with them as their enemy, which I think plays a large role in the hostile exchanges frequently seen online.
So what can be done about this? If the problem is being unable to relate to people who think differently, then the first step is to spend more time around them. Get to know them by doing things you both enjoy and just talking to them. You’ll realize that, just like you, they have hopes, fears, dreams, and struggles. Learning about them and what they value will reveal many similarities between the two of you and give you a lot to talk about with them; you may even become friends after doing this for a while.
Something that may help with this is becoming familiar with major influences in someone’s life. For example, if a few specific people have greatly shaped their thinking, look into those people and their works. Learn about what they stood for and why, then come back and have a real conversation about what you’ve found. The person you’re talking to will appreciate your taking the time to do that, and they will also probably become more receptive to hearing about your ideas.
It’s natural to want to spend time around like-minded people, but spending too much time in echo chambers can be problematic. Taking the time to learn many different perspectives by talking to lots of people about a wide range of ideas (as well as researching those ideas and perspectives on your own time) and getting to know the people you’re talking to will prevent many of the above problems from ever occurring and they’ll undo a lot of harm caused by problems that have already occurred. Everyone has a lot of ideas, and, while some ideas are better than others, there is much to be gained by listening to someone else’s ideas. To close, regardless of whether or not we ever agree on some of our ideas, as long as we’re working regularly at something that’s making a positive difference in the world, that’s worth celebrating.