This past election has left most millennials in a cloud of surprise. I know that on my own Facebook news feed there was a very anti-Trump/pro-Bernie vibe. In the months prior to the election, my outlets for social media were bombarded by very specific opinions against the reality TV billionaire. All I heard were calls to “feel the Bern”. To me, and I think to most people my age, it appeared unanimous that Trump would lose. However this was not the case. So what happened?
One issue with social media is that it’s prone to creating echo chambers: places where our ideas are reaffirmed by the consensus of our networks. Don’t like one particular friend’s libertarian view? Easy. Unfollow them. This ability to unfollow, paired with algorithms that curate content towards to your taste depending on what you like/react to, creates the walls that seal us into comfort zones with like-minded people. It traps us into a biased reality; a bubble that prevents us from ideas different than our own. Here are three simple ways to combat the bubble, and allow for the diffusion of ideas. No one’s saying it’s easy, but those who do are the guardians who keep the dialogue open during difficult times and with controversial ideas.
Actively like and react to diverse new sources and pages
Much of the power and control that users have over their social media is in curation. Your feed is curated according to the content you interact with. Simply being aware of this fact can make help make you more conscious about how and what appears in your feed. If you’re not seeing a lot of diversity in content, maybe try interacting with new stuff.
Watch out for confirmation bias
Does it always sound like you’re right? When you log onto your Facebook, does every status update and shared article resonate with your own beliefs? It’s easy to be drawn by the gravity of people who support your ideas, but to keep an honest perspective on the state of the world, you need to balance out what you expose yourself to.
A wise person once said to me “you like that author’s opinion? Then try reading their opposer’s book.”
Never Unfollow
The “unfollow” feature is meant to be used in times of dire offense. It’s understandable that a person be unfollowed because they are insulting or harassing. The problem is that in some subjects like politics and religion, people can resort to both of these behaviors. Because people tend to hold political and religious beliefs close to their hearts, opposing views often respond with even more hostility. Usually in these cases people unfollow not because of the idea itself but because of the primitive and often negative ways people try to convey them.
What makes unfollowing such a bad option is that it closes the dialogue between big contrasting ideas. If you unfollow a friend who disagrees with you, you’re basically choosing not to hear their side. Does doing this really make you the bigger person? When we choose to stop the flow of information, we are also choosing to remain within the bubble. Break free by practicing these three simple guidelines. Humans aren’t always the best at communicating, but at least keeping an open ear and an open heart leaves the door open to a more harmonious reality, one that actually reflects the ideas of the world, and the people who hold them.
