Hello... Hellooooo... Hellooooooo....

I heard an interesting segment on CBC Radio the other day about Echo Chambers on the Internet. They were not talking about the physical echo chambers that you can stand in and hear yourself, but rather a media/issue echo chamber. These phenomenon exist outside the Internet as well, and basically they work in that people tend to surround themselves with like-minded people so that they hear they things they believe in echoed back to them by everyone else. It was nice to have a name for what I see happening around me in a lot of situations (both situations to the left and to the right). It is easy to believe that you are right when everyone around you agrees with you and it can even amplify your belief because the echoing builds on it. I think it is where a lot of people go wrong. Instead of questioning what they believe (like good scientists do), they find confirmations of their beliefs which put them even further out of touch with anyone outside the circle. We need to challenge, not only what others believe, but what we believe ourselves. Check the facts. Recognize the alternative opinion. Read far and wide. Surround yourself with people who will challenge what you think. Don't live in an Echo Chamber. It's not a good thing.