Echo Chambers and How to Avoid Them

Are many Americans and citizens worldwide living in echo chambers?  To answer this we must first ask: what is an echo chamber?  Simply put, an echo chamber is a situation in which people will only hear or pay attention to stories, news, media, etc. that is of an opinion similar to their own.  In this day and age with the scale of online media and the number of media sources, it is easy to find a source at virtually any point on a political spectrum.  This is a double edged sword of sorts because while there are plenty of ways to get a full story, not everyone is willing to read media sources that are outside of their political biases with an open mind.  This means that there are probably millions of people who are stuck in echo chambers.  In order to avoid this situation it is paramount that readers, students, educators, the general public, and really anyone that has business paying attention to news (which is everyone) reads every article and story with an open mind, especially if it comes from a source they would not normally agree with politically.  Another key to avoiding echo chambers is to seek out news media that has an opposing viewpoint to your own.  One of the best strategies to staying informed and aware is to keep an open mind, and avoid being stuck in echo chambers.