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A lot of my conservative friends on FB, Twitter, and YT are moving to Parler and WeMe.

Are we moving towards the entirety of social media composed of echo chambers?
Are ideological bubbles inevitable in our society despite any progress in technology or society?
Is technology making our division worse by giving us more tools to divide or simply exposing or exploiting a fundamental character flaw in humanity?

TheMiddleWay 8 Nov 8
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14 comments

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1

For me, moving on to other platforms is about having intellectual and enlightened conversation and not being screamed at, called names, or enduring hateful attacks for being conscientious or having a different view.

Several of my friends were blocked, posts were randomly deleted (without permission), and some of them lost their accounts. Let me be clear here, none of what they said was ugly like the memes and rants shared from the “accepted” side. Having lived through being silenced for even entertaining an opposing view, I stopped talking about many things just to get along on media. Silencing people through a mob mentality is not a way to bridge division. I have no in trust any of those platforms and never will again.

I highly doubt there will be a way to repair what has been broken once people have been marginalized and voices taken.

3

People leave sites that censor them or the ideas and beliefs they have. It ends up making echo chambers based on the site moderators and what they censor compared to what is allowed. These big tech sites have crossed a line millions of americans don't agree with, and if the right site comes along, it is possible FB and Twitter meet their ends just as many others before them, myspace being the most recent.

1

I think that the divisions are bing driven by those that feel the empowerment of silencing the conservatives by blocking them and locking their accounts. We have seen this time and time again. We MUST NOT allow them to drive us out. There are a great many people out there that need to see what we have to say... otherwise the only voices they hear are the liberals, socialists and communists. Let us not leave but hold firm.

3

Most people that I see on FB are already setting up echo chambers. Sadly, the most aggressive in this new Puritanism seem to be, to my view, progressives. They don’t even like traditional democrats, much less conservatives or republicans.

1

Tweeter is a leftist echo chamber. [theatlantic.com]

2

Your lot has been in a bubble since Obama was President... maybe before... globally the Progressive movement has always denied reality and lived in its own bubble.

0

Topix used to have an open forum where the right and left slugged it out....It was interesting, informative and challenging.

4

Maybe your “conservative friends” are tired of you?

5

As long as nobody is willing to concede that they were wrong at some point, this will grow.
We live in a world where no one really wants to learn or have their minds changed. Even when pointed out that they made a mistake they either ignore it or try to change the subject to something else where they are correct, even though that was not the original discussion ... and nothing changes, no one learns and we just grow further apart.

The whole MSM is already an echo chamber for years.

Our technology may be progressing, however our society is regressing in many areas.

6

Technology has nothing to do with this. This has to do with powerful people whose whole purpose in life is to lord it over others. Echo chambers? An echo chamber is something one enters to hear themselves,not others. The big tech overlords sucked everyone into their closely controlled sites and once they had done that they censored all views not agreeing with theirs. This is the cause of so many new social sites. It is not that that people want to hear themselves talk, they want other people to hear them. I myself am currently on eight social sites because I want people to hear me. I was on ten but they decided to limit the size of post like Twitter so I left because I am not a twit and when I have something to say I do not like to be cut short. And this has nothing to do about whether or not people on sites like me or don't like me, whether they call me names or troll me. I left Facebook because they kicked me off, I left twitter because my voice is too big for their space. Done. Diatribe over. LOL

Like it ... not bad.

Twitter has always been for twits... it started off with 140 chars I think... talk about limiting thought or pandering to the mentally retarded.

3

Our genetic heritage that has made it possible for us to survive and flourish has demanded us (and all other animals) to seek security, to move away from places that make us feel uncomfortable and find a safe defensible location for our base. The human ability to abstract and imagine has given us a way to imagine we are safe and secure. Knocking on wood, talismans. salt over your shoulder and countless other actions gives us the feeling of safety. In an insecure and uncertain world, especially with the advent of social media, it is easy and satisfying to find large groups who re-affirm you, pat you on the back saying what a wonderful fellow you are and allow you to believe you are correct in your every thought and anyone who does not feel that way is absolutely wrong. When we feel we are in danger we tend to run to the safest place with the most support we can find. This is the easy way and avoids gaining the courage needed to see where the danger lies and work at doing something about it for your own sake and the sake of others.

Sheeple.
Ah!
I am ... and have always been ... a Wolf Among Sheeple.
Come On In!!!
The Mutton is FINE!

@Bay0Wulf And hope Sarah Palin is not above you in a helicopter with a rifle.

0

The only thing I can say is that the internet is like most technologies. There are the good things and the bad to it. You've pointed out the bad or at least some of the bad. But there are many good things about it too - the expanded learning opportunities and efficiencies that make life easier. There is also the danger of becoming intellectually lazy, but I hope there is not a fundamental character flaw in humanity. Although many people stake their whole lives on that belief, which is maddening at least to me.

2

I don’t think it’s so much of a drive to echo chambers. Personally, I pulled away from FB because of the meanness, nastiness and caustic responses when disagreements happen. I don’t mind having different views. I do mind when they come across with vile hatred or intense drama.

3

I think as American politics become more polarizing, some people conclude that they are not welcome on certain platforms where the majority have opposing point of views. At times, I sure feel that way on Agnostic, a good portion of my past attempts to establish open communication with members who hold differing views from my own resulted in insults getting thrown my way. IDW/SLUG was meant to be a neutral site, but eventually became more right-leaning as it became a haven for those who found themselves censored on other platforms. With that said, I do not care for either MeWe or Parler.

@TheMiddleWay
Curious.
Do you really Give a F-ck whether you’re “welcome”?
Why?
I gravitate towards those I can comprehend and perhaps respect.
Everyone else can go jump off a bridge ... preferably a very high one.

That is right... because most sites of the LW Progressive kind do not tolerate dissent... they tend to gang up on individuals and in the end have them suspended or banned. They make rules in order to censor and limit open debate.
In the end they are a waste of time as only the political purity of their bubble must be maintained.
Many Australian sites and media sites are like that.

@TheMiddleWay Yet I've never noticed any progressive discourse with you at all... anywhere, with anyone.

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