2016 was undeniably a year of major political shocks, both in the UK and the US. Both Brexit and the election of Donald Trump as President counteracted predictions from pollsters, media commentators, and political experts. How did social media and its role as a huge echo chamber of people who share your views, contribute to this?

The effects of a social media echo chamber

Social media was once envisaged as a hotbed of debate and discussion. Due to the effortless communication it provides, idealists believed it would introduce users to a variety of opinions that they could challenge and debate. How have we now got the point where social media has become a platform where users opinions are entrenched, supported by like-minded individuals and rarely questioned?

Realistically, you are going to share similar interests and opinions with your friends and the people closest to you. Therefore your core group will probably have a narrow ideological spectrum, it is unlikely you will be friends with people who openly reject and challenge your beliefs!

This will be reflected in your social media profiles. The majority of content shared on your newsfeed or timeline by friends will likely back up these personal beliefs. This is before considering your ‘liked’ pages (media, journalists, public figures), all of which will add to an already filtered echo chamber where your opinions are constantly echoed back to you. The adverts selected for you simply look at your likes and search history and feed you similar content, so it is the same outcome.

Alongside this, it is becoming easier and easier to ignore views different to your own. You have the option to delete people on Facebook, but if you can’t face the real-life implications of deleting someone from your online life, you can remove them from your timeline so you can’t see their content but remain friends. The mute button on Twitter works in the same way. Content that you disagree with can be censored with a click of a button without the consequence of an explanation to the person.

But what’s the problem with creating an echo chamber?

Surely one of social media’s biggest strengths is the ability to personalize your profile and account with information relevant to you?

Not entirely. Having a social media presence where your beliefs are constantly reinforced and in which you are often blind to different pools of thought is concerning for three major reasons:

1. False information shared (fake news)

In social media, content can be created and shared with ease. The echo chamber assists with this, even if this information is false or exaggerated. In the aftermath of the recent US Presidential election, Facebook was accused of failing to remove fake stories, which some argued may have swayed opinion and the election towards Donald Trump.

The Australian Macquarie Dictionary even named “fake news” as its word of the year for 2016.

Because of the entrenchment of many social media accounts, this information can be shared on a huge scale without being challenged. The social media echo chamber has potentially led to the creation and sharing of false information which could have distorted a major political event. If something as simply made as a meme containing a false accusation can influence people’s opinions, it is harmful to democracy. In the bubble of social media, these false stories are continually shared and read without being challenged on a mass scale.

2. The echoes distort reality

If the information or opinions you hold are repeatedly being echoed back to you, it enforces your individual belief system. The fact that social media is used as the main news source for 18-24-year-olds can explain the frailties of this.A young, left-leaning person couldn’t have foreseen the events of the 2015 General election or Brexit if they were using social media for their news information. The majority of the information ingested from this source would reinforce their own opinions, so they would have no doubts that these decisions would swing their way. It makes their own views seem more correct and universally accepted than they are in reality because they are being constantly echoed back to them. This can give some explanation to the shock of the Brexit vote and Donald Trump’s election to White House from certain demographics.

A young, left-leaning person couldn’t have foreseen the events of the 2015 General election or Brexit if they were using social media for their news information. The majority of the information ingested from this source would reinforce their own opinions, so they would have no doubts that these decisions would swing their way.It makes their own views seem more correct and universally accepted than they are in reality because they are being constantly echoed back to them. This can give some explanation to the shock of the Brexit vote and Donald Trump’s election to White House from certain demographics.

It makes their own views seem more correct and universally accepted than they are in reality because they are being constantly echoed back to them. This can give some explanation to the shock of the Brexit vote and Donald Trump’s election to White House from certain demographics.

3. A divided society

The option of removing people from your timeline or muting them from Twitter is a harmful one as it takes away potential discussion with users who have a different point of view. There will be no platform for a level of understanding or a meeting ground and, instead, a more divisive society where ideologies become more cemented and debate is removed.

Social media is once again reflecting society as a whole, deeply divided with a concerning lack of eagerness to engage with people who hold different opinions. Only recently has Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, expressed his dismay at how social media is creating a more divided society and has vowed to re-boot globalisation and portray its benefits.

So the next time you find yourself on one side of a major media talking point, remember that your social networks (especially Facebook!) will reflect back what you want to hear. What makes social media such an enjoyable experience for users is exactly why our views of the world can become distorted and the platforms used for political gain.