If someone is able to show me that what I think or do is not right, I will happily change, for I seek the truth, by which no one was ever truly harmed. It is the person who continues in his self-deception and ignorance who is harmed. – Marcus Aurelius

An echo chamber, as defined by Oxford Languages, is “an environment in which a person encounters only beliefs or opinions that coincide with their own, so that their existing views are reinforced and alternative ideas are not considered”. Echo chambers have become increasingly apparent with the rise of social media and are impediments to healthy conversation in the search for middle ground, contributors to social and political polarization, and they hamper logical thought. A paradigmatic case of an echo chamber in our society today is an algorithmic echo chamber on social media. Users on social media platforms, when exposed to a political or social idea with which they agree, are inclined to like or interact with the post. As a result, the algorithm of the social media platform will recommend videos containing similar opinions. When they come across a post which they don’t agree with, many people will ignore / not interact with it. The social media algorithm will then recommend less of these types of videos. This forms a social media feed which only recommends videos containing social or political opinions said individual agrees with. This leads to a dangerous feedback loop where an individuals views are not challenged and they become further entrenched in them, as they are not exposed to opposing views, no matter how mislead, misinformed, or dangerous their current perspective may be. 

One of the consequences of echo chambers like these is the effect on real life discourse. Open, healthy, discourse, where two people with contrary perspectives sensibly discuss what they believe in order to find middle ground or understand the other side, has become less and less common and harder to commence. History has shown that when talking stops, violence ensues. This is because the perspective of the opposing side stops being taken into consideration, and their humanity is dismissed. As Winston Churchill said, “Jaw-jaw is always better than war-war.” It is imperative steps in our society are taken to limit echo chambers and embrace healthy discourse. The creation of idea labs is more essential now than ever for the political depolarization and bridging the gap in our society. 

The term “Idea Lab” coined by Tim Urban, an author/blogger, refers to the theoretical opposite of an echo chamber. In an Idea Lab, objection to opinions, healthy discourse, and conversation is encouraged. One of my favorite examples of an Idea Lab is Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet during his Presidency. In 1860, Lincoln ran against 3 other candidates, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, and Edward Bates (Fried 2006). He won the election, becoming the 16th President of the U.S. Instead of appointing a typical presidential cabinet, Lincoln appointed the three men he ran against, his rivals. Lincoln understood the dangers of an echo chamber. His willingness to counteract this with creating an “Idea Lab”, allowed him to have a wealth of different opinions in his cabinet meetings. This, coupled with his willingness to go out and talk to soldiers in the field and hear what they had to say, is likely a large part of how he was able to navigate such a difficult period of American history with such grace and why he is often considered one of the great American Presidents.

National Archives and Records Administration. (2006, Spring). An Extraordinary President and His Remarkable Cabinet. Prologue Magazine. https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2006/spring/interview.html