<P> The echo chamber effect occurs online due to a harmonious group of people amalgamating and developing tunnel vision . Participants in online discussions may find their opinions constantly echoed back to them, which reinforces their individual belief systems . However, individuals who participate in echo chambers often do so because they feel more confident that their opinions will be more readily accepted by others in the echo chamber . This happens because the Internet has provided access to a wide range of readily available information . People are increasingly receiving their news online through untraditional sources, such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter, that have established personalization algorithms that cater specific information to individuals' online feeds . This method of curating content has replaced the function of the traditional news editor . The mediated spread of information through online networks causes a risk of an algorithmic filter bubble . </P> <P> Online social communities become fragmented when like - minded people group together and members hear arguments in one specific direction . In certain online platforms, such as Twitter, echo chambers are more likely to be found when the topic is more political in nature compared to topics that are seen as more neutral . Social networking communities are powerful reinforcers of rumors because people trust evidence supplied by their own social group, more than they do the news media . This can create significant barriers to critical discourse within an online medium . Social discussion and sharing suffer when people have a narrow information base and don't reach outside their network . The echo chambers can be detrimental to the well - being of a person . Essentially, the filter bubble can distort our very own realities that we thought could not be altered by outside sources . The Farnam Street academic blog explains that the filter bubble can have a bigger impact on us than we think . It can create echo chambers that leads us to believe that what you are seeing through ads is the only opinion or perspective that is right . This goes back to political ads that were constantly in circulation on the internet making the user think that it is the only correct opinion out there . Put otherwise, "If we don't like facts, we don't believe them . If we DO like something presented to us as fact, even if it is false, we tend to believe it . If we see too much of our viewpoint and perspectives everyday, we believe that there are no other opinions and that ours is the correct one in all cases . </P> <P> Many offline communities are also segregated by political beliefs and cultural views . The echo chamber effect may prevent individuals from noticing changes in language and culture involving groups other than their own . Online echo chambers can sometimes influence an individual's willingness to participate in similar discussions offline . A 2016 study found that "Twitter users who felt their audience on Twitter agreed with their opinion were more willing to speak out on that issue in the workplace". </P> <P> Ideological echo chambers have existed in many forms, for centuries . The echo chamber effect has largely been cited as occurring in politics . </P>

The danger of the echo chamber effect is most prominent in