Ever wonder why all of your friends seem to post similar statuses and comments? It is largely because Facebook and other social media platforms have socially engineered our experiences.
This article, even though it will be published publically, will not be seen by a large majority of my friends. Facebook has synthesized and analyzed everyone’s preferences to create a News Feed that maximizes time spent on its website. This can be accomplished by selecting "See First" to see certain friends' posts before anything else. You can also "Unfollow" friends, groups or pages that share content you do not want to see.
I am guilty on both of the counts mentioned above. I cannot help but wonder, why are we friends with people and do not want to see what they post? Curious, I looked through the people and sites that I had “censored” and found over 30 instances for this past year alone. I looked at the list and realized there were two common denominators: people I didn’t know that well and people that didn’t agree with me politically.
The former makes sense, I prioritized my News Feed by ignoring people that I did not know that well. I still want to contact them, if need be, but I do not want to see their endless shares. But the latter is more frightening; I was slowly isolating myself to viewpoints that I liked. I did not want to see what "Random girl from my hometown" posted because it was some commentary from a site that I despised. I did not want to watch videos by certain commentators because I found them abhorrent.
No more. I decided to take my Facebook back. I cannot allow myself to block those who disagree with me. How can I expect my peers to read the information I share if I do not do the same for them? While some of the "news" articles shared are complete garbage, I need to read what others are consuming. I can better defend my own positions when I know what the others think.
It is easy to isolate oneself and create an echo chamber, but that is a dangerous pattern. We should be willing to change our minds when we are presented with new, accurate information or evidence. In the future I will endeavor to listen, truly listen. We need to stop our internal monologs and learn from our peers, friends, and family. In everyday discourse, we often cut off another's thoughts before he can get to the "point." It serves no purpose and further alienates our conversation partner. Think about why the person believes what they believe. What experiences do they have that I do not? We should not try to change someone's opinion on some deeply entrenched, often emotionally charged, issue in only one conversation.
Here is how I plan to liberate myself from my echo chamber:
1. Follow back all of the people on Facebook that I disagree with.
I need to engage fully with those who share differing beliefs.
2. Follow alternative sources on my social media accounts.
I have added multiple accounts on Twitter, where I gather most of my news, and the results have been great. I know I can improve, but it is a good start.
3. Listen with open ears to politicians, political pundits, celebrities, activists and world leaders.
We will still be able to rationally think after we've shut off our argumentative side. We do not have to yell at the TV when Bernie Sanders suggests some "socialist" ideology. We do not have to take to Facebook or Twitter during a "policy" speech by Donald Trump. Let us listen and learn, then we can evaluate and criticize.
4. Enlist your friends and family members.
We can engage critically with those we disagree with. Remain calm and polite. You do not have to offer a response or rebuke their claims immediately or ever.
5. Write and ponder.
Write about your beliefs. Write about your foundations. Why do you think what you think? Ponder. Make fake arguments with those with differing opinions — but be realistic. You might not win every discussion, nor should you aim to.
6. Be kind and gentle
No one “wins” when someone leaves hurt and isolated. If anything, you only encourage them to build up their walls.
Political partisanship exists, in part, because we refuse to listen to others. We think we know what the Democrats want or why the Republicans believe something. When we employ the aforementioned strategies, we might get a step closer towards more productive conversations. Even if it is one step, we are closer towards what we need: an open-minded society.
