In today’s digital age, youth invest much of their time on social media using it for a primary source of information and communication. 2023 Pew Research shows that 1 in 5 youth are on social media ‘almost constantly’. While it offers countless opportunities for learning and connection, it also poses a significant risk: echo chambers. Cambridge University defines echo chambers as a social epistemic structure from which other relevant voices have been actively excluded and discredited. In online environments, such as Facebook, there is a ranking and recommending algorithm that promotes content that aligns with the users existing beliefs, resulting in a narrow worldview and reinforcing biases. Cambridge University indicates that some of the consequences are as follows: Members of epistemic bubbles (echo chambers) lack exposure to relevant information and arguments. Members of echo chambers, on the other hand, have been brought to systematically distrust all outside sources.  

What is an algorithm?

Imagined illustration of an algorithm decision tree (help from Adobe Firefly)

Algorithms are sets of rules that help to solve a problem. We are familiar with them in math equations, we call them the order of operations. In artificial intelligence, algorithms help machine learning models to calculate solutions to problems on their own.

How does it filter my digital outlook?

The problem that social media algorithms are trying to solve is how to increase viewership. Viewership is the monetary motivation that fuels social media companies. To prioritize content based on users’ past interactions, likes, and searches, creates an atmosphere where users see what they like and come back for more. A descriptive term for this tendency is confirmation bias “the tendency to process information by looking for, or interpreting, information that is consistent with one’s existing beliefs” (Britannica).

What benefit is a solid worldview?

Digital correspondence makes the world smaller

• Provides a lens for interpreting information, such as current events and discerning what is true.
• Shapes ethical decision-making: By understanding their own values and moral compass, which are often deeply rooted in their worldview, young people can make ethical choices in various situations. 
• Promotes critical thinking: perhaps the most timely impact in this age of AI
• Enhances cultural understanding: not only awareness but value of diverse cultures. Technology is making the song lyrics come true: “it’s a small world after all.” (The Sherman Brothers, Disney)
• Improves resilience: Youth will face complex challenges and a solid worldview can help in those pathfinding moments.
• Impacts future career and life choices: decisions about careers, friendships and championing social issues are all guided by worldview. 

Whether the topic is politics, race, environment sustainability or just engaging in community conversation, youth need to escape the echo chamber in order to make good impacts. Their cognitive and emotional development depends on the exposure to diverse viewpoints so that they can think critically and develop good questions to vet the information they will have to navigate when discerning what to believe and what to challenge.

Do you feel that?

Emotional decisions on social media. (help from Adobe Firefly)

The environment that feeds misinformation is a place of emotional manipulation.

Charged and misleading content is what often ‘blows up the internet’ and gets the likes, dislikes, comments and shares that are the fuel that feeds the viewership appetite of social media. While this emotional rollercoaster can be thrilling, it reinforces opinions without checking those ideas with the broader context of the whole story. Don’t click it. Choosing not to engage in this type of post is practical advice but requires great self-control.

Influencers

In order to reduce the influence of echo chambers, individuals, educators, parents, and platforms all have a role to play. One key approach is encouraging youth to actively seek out diverse sources of information. This can be done by following accounts from different perspectives, consuming news from multiple outlets, and using tools designed to broaden the content they see.

There’s an app for that!

Several apps and browser extensions are available to help youth expand their media consumption. Tools like ‘Ground News: Blindspot’ and ‘Allsides‘  highlight content from across the political spectrum, helping users see multiple sides of an issue. Media literacy programs are also vital, teaching young people how to critically evaluate sources and recognize misinformation.

Responsible AI is the buzzword.

Responsible AI: what might it look like? (help from Adobe Firefly)

Increased transparency around how algorithms function, as well as the introduction of features that allow users to access varied content, could make a meaningful difference. There’s a growing call for platforms to prioritize a healthy information ecosystem rather than just user engagement. Facebook has a responsible AI team but investigative reporting from MIT’s Karen Hao has shown that they have a long way to go.

Our small world is going to continue to spin, to continue connecting over digital platforms. Just as we hold ourselves and youth to be accountable for their words and actions, we have to work together to equip youth to develop into critical thinkers and informed citizens. We are responsible for advocating for a transparent and ethical usage of AI. As we traverse this 2024 election year, Eric Schmidt (former head of Google) has good advice. His 6 points of action include a promising bill, the Platform Accountability and Transparency Act, which would, for example, hold platforms accountable to compliance with data requests from projects approved by the National Science Foundation. 

What can we do now?

By encouraging diverse media consumption, fostering discussions on confirmation bias, and holding social media companies accountable, we can help youth escape the echo chamber. To ensure that young people are exposed to the broad range of perspectives necessary for a balanced and well-rounded worldview use the resources provided throughout this article. If you are looking for an in person event, look no further. In partnership with the Smithsonian, the Greensboro Museum of History is hosting a leadership youth summit, September 14-28, 2024. On September 14, 2024 our staff will help with the kickoff by hosting an open dialogue session and hands-on experience on this topic of Social Media & Politics. 

Follow this link for registration for this event

For more information on this event.

This article was created with citated ideas hyperlinked throughout the article. It was also created with prompts from ChatGPT.