Breaking through Echo Chamber Bubbles

11:15 a.m. - 12:05 p.m., Wednesday, September 25, 2024
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From Facebook to Instagram and TikTok and more, social media has profoundly impacted our lives in many ways. Social media platforms have led to greater social connection through the formation of online communities around shared interests, causes and activities, but have led to negative spaces as well.  Echo chambers – spaces that amplify homogenous opinions and exclude dissenting voices – are seen as both positive and negative. As modes of online communication become increasingly complex, how is balance maintained to reinforce an individual’s existing beliefs and viewpoints without increasing polarization in our society? How do social media platforms cause the formation and reinforcement of echo chambers? What are the effects on society and individual perceptions?  Are there solutions and strategies to mitigate the negative effects of echo chambers and ensure a healthier and more diverse online environment?

Panel Host:  Daezia Smith     Q&A Moderator:  Emily Yeap

Presenters

Journalist, Podcast Host Julie Beck

Julie Beck

Journalist, Podcast Host
The Atlantic

Associate Professor of English Mellisa Huffman

Mellisa Huffman

Associate Professor of English
Angelo State University

Program Director/Morning Show Host Nick Reed

Nick Reed

Program Director/Morning Show Host
Springfield's Talk, 104.1, KSGF