Yet due to the nature of the online platforms where we put forth our views, we are often just presenting our arguments to an echo chamber that is either completely supportive or dismissive of our opinion.

The former results in our posts effectively contributing nothing new to the discussion, yet being praised endlessly for ‘speaking the truth’. I consider this to be just conforming that group’s norm. The author of the piece feels validated and continues to produce content, because everyone in that online forum is agreeing with their opinion. Any and all dissenting voices are drowned out by the sheer number of counter opinions, thus it is rare for an opposite opinion to be taken seriously or even noticed.

The latter results in incessant trolling, belittling and banishment from the groups. It is very easy to dismiss someone’s opinion if you see it downvoted to oblivion, or if 99% of comments are disagreeing with the original post. If the topic is sensitive in nature, ‘protecting the members’ is often cited as a reason to delete and block the person posting. Whilst it may be necessary, this form of censorship can cause the members to only hear self-confirming opinions.

Thus, you may be in an echo chamber and not even realise it.



Most people talk with people who share similar views to them. The articles, blogs, videos and posts shared tend to be of a similar nature to what they already believe.