EOTO 2 Reaction (What I learned)

I learned a lot from these presentations. I enjoyed learning about the theories and terms that were shared from different team members. The two that stuck out to me the most were the presentation about the echo chamber  and the presentation about the spiral of silence. 

The echo chamber is when you are only consuming media that aligns with your beliefs, instead of seeking out alternative opinions to give you a fresh perspective. This can be created through many channels: social media, friends, family, etc. One of the biggest negative effects of this is that it can often lead to the belief that "everyone thinks the same way as me"
. Social media can be particularly aiding to this phenomenon because the apps are specifically coded to tailor content to your particular interests. So, if you like Fox News and you keep liking posts that contain topics related to their content, they are going to suggest related content and creators for you to interact with. This further deepens the echo chamber because it strengthens the algorithm into knowing your interests so it becomes less and less likely that they will suggest content for you from CNN or MSNBC because they know that Fox News peaks your interest. In the end, it helps with the platform's overall engagement rates, and it helps you only consume the same content continuously.   

The other topic that I enjoyed learning about was the Spiral of Silence. This is when people believe that they believe they are in the minority, they tend to stay silent out of the heart of being logically wrong. They think that it could socially isolate them because others might not agree with their views or opinions. Alternatively, people who are in the majority often take advantage of this to spread their message and to silence minority opinions. I think that you see this happen a lot today in politics as the political arena becomes increasingly polarizing. When people's views are so strong, it is easier to stay silent than to try to disagree with them. 

Overall, I learned a lot from these presentations. I was introduced to new terms and ideas that I was not familiar with before.