An online acquaintance and I got into an argument about two years ago. Needless to say, we don’t talk anymore.
The loss of the friendship isn’t the main reason I’m still thinking about this. It’s more about the circumstances and what it means for society.
My friend was the poster boy for Trump followers, voters, or Trumpers…whatever you call them.
Our argument arose because he sent me a Ben Shapiro article. I can’t remember the subject of our argument or the article, but that’s not important.
We argued because I immediately started following the article’s sources to vet them. Eventually, it became clear that Ben Shapiro’s article used other marketing or online materials as its sources.
So, this article was not factually acceptable or believable.
You’re fucking right I pointed this out to my friend. What happened next surprised the hell out of me.
This person, who I thought was logical and rational, suddenly refused to listen to me. Keep in mind I wasn’t telling him he was wrong. I was simply pointing out that I needed him to provide objective proof before considering his point of view.
The call devolved into texts and DMs. Eventually, I was unfriended (and re-friended about two weeks later), but things were never great again…lol.
I’m willing to bet you’ve had a similar interaction with someone IRL or online.
So what happened here? Why did my friend get so angry when I pointed out that his sources were found in an echo chamber?
The Echo Chamber
I decided to do a quick search for “Why do people believe what they read online.” and a thought-provoking article on Forbes by Kalev Leetaru called “Why Do We Believe What We Read On The Internet?” popped up. He says,
“…today’s misinformation scholars rarely have even the slightest practical experience in the topics they claim to be experts over. Sadly, this has led to a world in which so much of the digital misinformation scholarship emerging from academia lacks any grounding in reality.”
I keep going back to the phrase “echo chamber.” Oxford defines it as “An environment in which a person encounters only beliefs or opinions that coincide with their own, so that their existing views are reinforced, and alternative ideas are not considered.”
That’s my friend.
Deven Bhagwandin 