The digital citizen: in worship of an echo
The digital citizen: in worship of an echo
This column critically examines the hypothesis that the Internet is responsible for creating echo chambers, in which groups can seal themselves off from heterodox opinion, via filtering and recommendation technology. Echo chambers are held responsible by many for political polarization, and the growth of extremism, yet the evidence doesn't seem to support this view. Echo chambers certainly exist, and can be detrimental to deliberation and discussion, but equally have a role to play in group formation, solidarity, and identity. The case for intervening in Internet governance to suppress echo chambers is not proven.
fundamentalism, filter bubble, echo chambers, recommendation, Internet governance, Internet regulation, radicalism, extremism
79-83
O'Hara, Kieron
0a64a4b1-efb5-45d1-a4c2-77783f18f0c4
July 2014
O'Hara, Kieron
0a64a4b1-efb5-45d1-a4c2-77783f18f0c4
O'Hara, Kieron
(2014)
The digital citizen: in worship of an echo.
IEEE Internet Computing, 18 (4), .
(doi:10.1109/MIC.2014.71).
Abstract
This column critically examines the hypothesis that the Internet is responsible for creating echo chambers, in which groups can seal themselves off from heterodox opinion, via filtering and recommendation technology. Echo chambers are held responsible by many for political polarization, and the growth of extremism, yet the evidence doesn't seem to support this view. Echo chambers certainly exist, and can be detrimental to deliberation and discussion, but equally have a role to play in group formation, solidarity, and identity. The case for intervening in Internet governance to suppress echo chambers is not proven.
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Published date: July 2014
Keywords:
fundamentalism, filter bubble, echo chambers, recommendation, Internet governance, Internet regulation, radicalism, extremism
Organisations:
Web & Internet Science
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Local EPrints ID: 366752
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/366752
PURE UUID: 06875fb0-3d96-4e1e-9c90-9b5b785d9092
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Date deposited: 09 Jul 2014 14:17
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:09
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