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What does “echo chamber” actually mean?
8 months ago
General
And as I had clarified in the penultimate paragraph of the journal I had made about “US and its money problem (2-2)”, i.e. this one:
https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/11086555/
It's time to develop other topics, which will be quite relevant to the topic mentioned above (link above) when the moment arrives, and for future topics as well. Not to mention , the relevance present in it for everything that has to do with collectivity, group behavior, and everything related to that in general.
Clarifying the above, many of you may be wondering why we are addressing this topic when there are dictionaries on the internet that explain the meaning of the phrase mentioned in quotation marks in the title of this journal. The answer is simple: it is because the definitions found in those dictionaries aren't entirely accurate or complete. Not to mention that most people do not know what it really means, or simply misuse the phrase.
And taking into account the countless cases in the real world, as well as on the internet, of people misusing this phrase, especially in an unjustified manner, against any individual or group of individuals, believing that their behavior excludes them from the definition of this phrase when there are occasions that it also includes them...
(Ahem) The procedure is simple: first, I will give the literal definition of what is an echo chamber; a segment with additional complementary information, separate from the rest of the topic, with links, citations, and so on, on second; the figurative definition of that phrase, on third; and my arguments and opinions on fourth and last. So, with nothing further to clarify, here is the first thing on the line:
Literal definition of echo chamber (dictionaries)
Definition 1: A room with sound-reflecting walls used for producing hollow or echoing sound effects
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dic.....echo%20chamber
Definition 2: a room or space in which sound echoes (= is repeated because it is reflected from the walls, etc.).
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/di.....oogle_vignette
Start of segment with additional supplementary information.
Tribalism.
Definition of tribalism (dictionary):
1. uncountable noun
Tribalism is the state of existing as a tribe.
2. uncountable noun
You can use tribalism to refer to the loyalties that people feel towards particular social groups and to the way these loyalties affect their behaviour and their attitudes towards others.
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/tribalism
Definition of tribalism (article fragment):
"This concept encompasses two distinct but closely related definitions. On the one hand, we can understand tribalism as a social system by which humanity is divided into differentiated organizations or groups known as tribes.
To this day, the term tribe is attributed to those groups of people who share a common set of interests, habits, practices, traditions or a common ethnic origin. Throughout the world, there are an infinite number of such groupings, all with distinctive traits and qualities.
The second acceptance of the term tribalism is that which refers to a strong feeling of cultural or ethnic identity. This feeling makes the person define and differentiate him/herself from other members of a different tribe. In addition, it also includes the feelings that the person has towards his/her own group, as well as the satisfaction or pride of being in it.
It is very important to understand the differences between these two acceptances of tribalism since despite the fact that tribal societies are hardly developed in the West, tribalism understood as the creation of groups of people with common tastes is fully extended."
https://psicologiaymente.com/social/tribalismo
Fanaticism.
Definition of fanatic 1-2 (dictionary):
1 noun : a person exhibiting excessive enthusiasm and intense uncritical devotion toward some controversial matter (as in religion or politics)
2 : a person who is extremely enthusiastic about and devoted to some interest or activity
Definition of fanatic 1-2 (dictionary):
adjective : marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fanatic
Types of fanaticism (article fragment):
"The different types of current fanaticism are related to the affinity or rejection of a particular person, ideology, religion, hobby or sport. Thus, they can be differentiated:
• Religious fanaticism. It is the excessive fervor towards a religion or belief. It is characterized by the defense of dogmas, sacred books or divinities, and the denial of religious diversity.
• Political fanaticism. It is the extreme defense of an ideology, party, movement or political leader. It implies intolerance and, in some cases, violence against those who do not share the same vision.
• Cultural fanaticism. It is the radical defense of the traditional values of a culture and the rejection of any other. It seeks to exclude or eliminate everything that represents a cultural difference.
• Sports fanaticism. It is the radicalization of rivalry between teams, which can lead to the desire to impose the superiority of one team over another and to violence.
• Anti-religious fanaticism. It is an intense position against religions, characterized by the inability to respect or value the religious ideas of others.
• Fanaticism towards persons. It is the admiration or enthusiasm for a figure or celebrity, such as an actor or musician. It can lead to irrational attachment and a distorted view of the reality of the person admired."
https://concepto.de/fanatismo/
Fandom.
Definition of fandom (article fragment):
“According to the Oxford English Dictionary, fandom (\ˈfan-dəm\ \ˈfændəm\ \ˈfæn.dəm\) refers to the fans of a sports team, particular television show, comic book, anime, or a certain person. These fans are regarded collectively as a subculture or community.
In simpler terms, fandom is essentially a way of saying fan culture.”
https://thewordcounter.com/meaning-of-fandom/
End of segment with additional supplementary information.
* breath *
Sorry for that, but all that additional information in the section above will be necessary later on when I give the figurative definition of an echo chamber, because , otherwise, the context will be lost. And speaking of definitions, it's time to put the real definition of that term, so here it is:
Figurative definition of echo chamber
: pejorative and imprecise term used with the purpose of pointing out, denigrating and/or condemning any individual, or group of individuals, who have an excessive and obsessive behavior, especially at specific times or circumstances, either by affinity or rejection, towards a person, group, entity or something in particular, which is closely linked to the level of fanaticism possessed by such individual, or group of individuals.
That's it; there they have it. The above is the true, as well as the most complete, definition of what is an “echo chamber”. Then I'll put several examples of publicly known cases where the individuals involved can be called out on the basis of that phrase, followed by explanatory arguments about each one them.
Examples:
1. The cult of the Apple brand/ to Steve Jobs
2. The cult of Gabe Newell
3. The cult of Elon Musk
4. The cult of Nintendo
Explanatory arguments:
About example 1: There is not much to say as many would agree that there are plenty of reasons why the example is justified. Although I suppose it should be noted that, today, the cult of Steve Jobs is smaller than the cult of the company per se, even if the obsession with the latter comes from those who seek to appear to have a higher social status than those who do not have products from the company, such as iPhones for example.
About example 2: This one is more complicated, as when I was young I played several of Valve's games, which I enjoyed, but, due to something called “language barrier” because of being Latino, I never got to hear Gabe Newell speak, as well as anything related to him in general, which prevented me from developing any kind of attachment or admiration towards such individual. The good news is that turned out to be a good thing, as later on, over the years, I found out and discovered on my own who Gabe really was, as well as the things Valve did to their fans and their customers, and to say that I am disappointed with him and his "fans" is not enough. However, one positive thing I can say, even if the cult/fandom towards Valve is not a good thing per se, more so the one about Gabe Newell, is the fact that the modding community is one of the truly worthwhile things about that fandom, as it is they, and their creations, that really contributed to the fandom, regardless that the fanaticism of some of them ended up playing against them.
About example 3: Even if I have enough to say about it, I prefer not to do so as I plan to do so in future journals about other topics, which will use or make mention of other journals made by me as a complement, including this one. I will only say that the most “enthusiastic” followers of said fandom, which are mostly in the United States, will ignore any evidence shown against the leader of said group, and the reasons are plentiful.
About example 4: Before I say what corresponds to said company, which will make many of their “fans” go to their keyboards immediately, I want to clarify that every person who follows Nintendo does not necessarily possess or show fanaticism of any kind; many of them are just loyal to said company and/or others are just normies since they just want to have a good time playing their games and nothing else. The real problem is that most of the loyalists, including myself, left when they discovered that Nintendo became a corporation corrupted by excessive envy and greed, which only exists for the sole purpose of pleasing the normies and their fanatics, especially the latter, even if that means persecuting, attacking and denigrating anyone who still retains the loyalty of the old Nintendo, as well as stealing and/or destroying anyone who wants to create new things, or things that resemble, some of the company's IPs, even if it's not with bad intentions. And for the sake of argument, I'll just say that the actions of Nintendo “fans”, and I mean those who really are, by the way, especially for those who tend to go to extremes, who will not hesitate to defend anything the company does, in one way or another, no matter how evil and unjustified, is all I need to prove my point.
And before I finish with this topic, I want to say a few things to set the record straight:
1. I do not intend to be responsible for the misuse of any of the terms presented in this journal, as that is the responsibility of the reader.
2. The examples presented in the last section of the journal were for the purpose of making things easier to understand since they are quite famous, as well as public knowledge; not for the purpose of attacking and/or denigrating the followers of those groups who, in fact, possess genuine loyalty and responsibility.
3. The use of the term “echo chamber” only applies to individuals or groups of individuals; not to things, such as social media, for example.
4. Due to the above mentioned point 3, and because it is a pejorative figurative term, the real name should have been “echo chamber syndrome”, since the original name fails to imply its link to people. However, due to lack of time, I decided to leave it as a brief mention here as it is the quickest way to close the journal.
Sorry if this journal is quite large, but since it had to be able to stand on its own as a specific topic, and not just serve as a complement to other journals, I ended up developing it to the point of being different from what I had in mind at the beginning. Nevertheless, and regardless that I will be lucky if anyone is going to read all this, I will be satisfied that some will read the definition of “echo chamber” or “echo chamber syndrome” (to be accurate) that I implied; that would be something at least.
Well, that's all for today. Sorry for the inconveniences caused, until next time, greetings and have a nice day/night to all of you.
https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/11086555/
It's time to develop other topics, which will be quite relevant to the topic mentioned above (link above) when the moment arrives, and for future topics as well. Not to mention , the relevance present in it for everything that has to do with collectivity, group behavior, and everything related to that in general.
Clarifying the above, many of you may be wondering why we are addressing this topic when there are dictionaries on the internet that explain the meaning of the phrase mentioned in quotation marks in the title of this journal. The answer is simple: it is because the definitions found in those dictionaries aren't entirely accurate or complete. Not to mention that most people do not know what it really means, or simply misuse the phrase.
And taking into account the countless cases in the real world, as well as on the internet, of people misusing this phrase, especially in an unjustified manner, against any individual or group of individuals, believing that their behavior excludes them from the definition of this phrase when there are occasions that it also includes them...
(Ahem) The procedure is simple: first, I will give the literal definition of what is an echo chamber; a segment with additional complementary information, separate from the rest of the topic, with links, citations, and so on, on second; the figurative definition of that phrase, on third; and my arguments and opinions on fourth and last. So, with nothing further to clarify, here is the first thing on the line:
Literal definition of echo chamber (dictionaries)
Definition 1: A room with sound-reflecting walls used for producing hollow or echoing sound effects
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dic.....echo%20chamber
Definition 2: a room or space in which sound echoes (= is repeated because it is reflected from the walls, etc.).
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/di.....oogle_vignette
Start of segment with additional supplementary information.
Tribalism.
Definition of tribalism (dictionary):
1. uncountable noun
Tribalism is the state of existing as a tribe.
2. uncountable noun
You can use tribalism to refer to the loyalties that people feel towards particular social groups and to the way these loyalties affect their behaviour and their attitudes towards others.
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/tribalism
Definition of tribalism (article fragment):
"This concept encompasses two distinct but closely related definitions. On the one hand, we can understand tribalism as a social system by which humanity is divided into differentiated organizations or groups known as tribes.
To this day, the term tribe is attributed to those groups of people who share a common set of interests, habits, practices, traditions or a common ethnic origin. Throughout the world, there are an infinite number of such groupings, all with distinctive traits and qualities.
The second acceptance of the term tribalism is that which refers to a strong feeling of cultural or ethnic identity. This feeling makes the person define and differentiate him/herself from other members of a different tribe. In addition, it also includes the feelings that the person has towards his/her own group, as well as the satisfaction or pride of being in it.
It is very important to understand the differences between these two acceptances of tribalism since despite the fact that tribal societies are hardly developed in the West, tribalism understood as the creation of groups of people with common tastes is fully extended."
https://psicologiaymente.com/social/tribalismo
Fanaticism.
Definition of fanatic 1-2 (dictionary):
1 noun : a person exhibiting excessive enthusiasm and intense uncritical devotion toward some controversial matter (as in religion or politics)
2 : a person who is extremely enthusiastic about and devoted to some interest or activity
Definition of fanatic 1-2 (dictionary):
adjective : marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fanatic
Types of fanaticism (article fragment):
"The different types of current fanaticism are related to the affinity or rejection of a particular person, ideology, religion, hobby or sport. Thus, they can be differentiated:
• Religious fanaticism. It is the excessive fervor towards a religion or belief. It is characterized by the defense of dogmas, sacred books or divinities, and the denial of religious diversity.
• Political fanaticism. It is the extreme defense of an ideology, party, movement or political leader. It implies intolerance and, in some cases, violence against those who do not share the same vision.
• Cultural fanaticism. It is the radical defense of the traditional values of a culture and the rejection of any other. It seeks to exclude or eliminate everything that represents a cultural difference.
• Sports fanaticism. It is the radicalization of rivalry between teams, which can lead to the desire to impose the superiority of one team over another and to violence.
• Anti-religious fanaticism. It is an intense position against religions, characterized by the inability to respect or value the religious ideas of others.
• Fanaticism towards persons. It is the admiration or enthusiasm for a figure or celebrity, such as an actor or musician. It can lead to irrational attachment and a distorted view of the reality of the person admired."
https://concepto.de/fanatismo/
Fandom.
Definition of fandom (article fragment):
“According to the Oxford English Dictionary, fandom (\ˈfan-dəm\ \ˈfændəm\ \ˈfæn.dəm\) refers to the fans of a sports team, particular television show, comic book, anime, or a certain person. These fans are regarded collectively as a subculture or community.
In simpler terms, fandom is essentially a way of saying fan culture.”
https://thewordcounter.com/meaning-of-fandom/
End of segment with additional supplementary information.
* breath *
Sorry for that, but all that additional information in the section above will be necessary later on when I give the figurative definition of an echo chamber, because , otherwise, the context will be lost. And speaking of definitions, it's time to put the real definition of that term, so here it is:
Figurative definition of echo chamber
: pejorative and imprecise term used with the purpose of pointing out, denigrating and/or condemning any individual, or group of individuals, who have an excessive and obsessive behavior, especially at specific times or circumstances, either by affinity or rejection, towards a person, group, entity or something in particular, which is closely linked to the level of fanaticism possessed by such individual, or group of individuals.
That's it; there they have it. The above is the true, as well as the most complete, definition of what is an “echo chamber”. Then I'll put several examples of publicly known cases where the individuals involved can be called out on the basis of that phrase, followed by explanatory arguments about each one them.
Examples:
1. The cult of the Apple brand/ to Steve Jobs
2. The cult of Gabe Newell
3. The cult of Elon Musk
4. The cult of Nintendo
Explanatory arguments:
About example 1: There is not much to say as many would agree that there are plenty of reasons why the example is justified. Although I suppose it should be noted that, today, the cult of Steve Jobs is smaller than the cult of the company per se, even if the obsession with the latter comes from those who seek to appear to have a higher social status than those who do not have products from the company, such as iPhones for example.
About example 2: This one is more complicated, as when I was young I played several of Valve's games, which I enjoyed, but, due to something called “language barrier” because of being Latino, I never got to hear Gabe Newell speak, as well as anything related to him in general, which prevented me from developing any kind of attachment or admiration towards such individual. The good news is that turned out to be a good thing, as later on, over the years, I found out and discovered on my own who Gabe really was, as well as the things Valve did to their fans and their customers, and to say that I am disappointed with him and his "fans" is not enough. However, one positive thing I can say, even if the cult/fandom towards Valve is not a good thing per se, more so the one about Gabe Newell, is the fact that the modding community is one of the truly worthwhile things about that fandom, as it is they, and their creations, that really contributed to the fandom, regardless that the fanaticism of some of them ended up playing against them.
About example 3: Even if I have enough to say about it, I prefer not to do so as I plan to do so in future journals about other topics, which will use or make mention of other journals made by me as a complement, including this one. I will only say that the most “enthusiastic” followers of said fandom, which are mostly in the United States, will ignore any evidence shown against the leader of said group, and the reasons are plentiful.
About example 4: Before I say what corresponds to said company, which will make many of their “fans” go to their keyboards immediately, I want to clarify that every person who follows Nintendo does not necessarily possess or show fanaticism of any kind; many of them are just loyal to said company and/or others are just normies since they just want to have a good time playing their games and nothing else. The real problem is that most of the loyalists, including myself, left when they discovered that Nintendo became a corporation corrupted by excessive envy and greed, which only exists for the sole purpose of pleasing the normies and their fanatics, especially the latter, even if that means persecuting, attacking and denigrating anyone who still retains the loyalty of the old Nintendo, as well as stealing and/or destroying anyone who wants to create new things, or things that resemble, some of the company's IPs, even if it's not with bad intentions. And for the sake of argument, I'll just say that the actions of Nintendo “fans”, and I mean those who really are, by the way, especially for those who tend to go to extremes, who will not hesitate to defend anything the company does, in one way or another, no matter how evil and unjustified, is all I need to prove my point.
And before I finish with this topic, I want to say a few things to set the record straight:
1. I do not intend to be responsible for the misuse of any of the terms presented in this journal, as that is the responsibility of the reader.
2. The examples presented in the last section of the journal were for the purpose of making things easier to understand since they are quite famous, as well as public knowledge; not for the purpose of attacking and/or denigrating the followers of those groups who, in fact, possess genuine loyalty and responsibility.
3. The use of the term “echo chamber” only applies to individuals or groups of individuals; not to things, such as social media, for example.
4. Due to the above mentioned point 3, and because it is a pejorative figurative term, the real name should have been “echo chamber syndrome”, since the original name fails to imply its link to people. However, due to lack of time, I decided to leave it as a brief mention here as it is the quickest way to close the journal.
Sorry if this journal is quite large, but since it had to be able to stand on its own as a specific topic, and not just serve as a complement to other journals, I ended up developing it to the point of being different from what I had in mind at the beginning. Nevertheless, and regardless that I will be lucky if anyone is going to read all this, I will be satisfied that some will read the definition of “echo chamber” or “echo chamber syndrome” (to be accurate) that I implied; that would be something at least.
Well, that's all for today. Sorry for the inconveniences caused, until next time, greetings and have a nice day/night to all of you.
