Have you ever noticed that your ‘For You’ page on socials seems to agree with you on everything? This isn’t a coincidence.
Social media algorithms are designed to show you content that might keep you on the app. They do this by giving you more of what you’ve already liked or watched. This creates an echo chamber.
An echo chamber is a digital space where you only hear your own opinions reflected back at you. This makes it hard to see different points of view, and it’s a major way that misinformation and disinformation are spread without being challenged.
Is it okay to be in an echo chamber?
In the run-up to the Senedd elections, echo chambers can impact what you see. If your feed only shows you one political side, you might think everyone feels the same way. This can make the country feel more divided than it really is.
It also makes you a target for misinformation and disinformation. If a fake story fits what you already believe, you are much more likely to believe it without checking the facts.
Breaking your echo chamber is the best way to make sure your vote is based on the full picture, not just a filtered one. But it isn’t something you do just once – it’s about changing how you use your phone every day. You can use habit stacking to make this easy. By tagging a new habit onto your usual scrolling, you can trick the algorithm into showing you the full picture without it feeling like extra work. Here’s how to break out of your echo chamber:
Mix up your feed
You don’t have to agree with everyone, but following a few different news outlets, election candidates, and political parties will help you understand the full debate in Wales. It forces the algorithm to show you a wider range of views.
Habit stack: Every time you follow a new account you love, make it a rule to follow one reputable news outlet or a different political perspective immediately after.
Search for yourself
Don’t just rely on what the algorithm feeds you. Manually search for “Senedd election news” or visit the websites of various news organisations. This puts you back in the driver’s seat of your own information.
Habit stack: When you first open your phone to check the weather or sports, use that moment to also type “Senedd” into the search bar to see what’s trending outside of your social feed.
Look past the comments
Comment sections sometimes have content produced by bots or people looking for a reaction. They can’t always be relied upon to represent how the average person in Wales actually feels. Take a step back and look for factual reporting instead of heated debates.
Habit stack: Whenever you find yourself scrolling deep into a comment section, close the app and spend 60 seconds reading the actual article instead.
Talk to people in real life
Offline conversations are usually much more balanced than online ones. Talk to friends, family, teachers, tutors, or youth workers about the election. You’ll often find that people’s views are more complicated than a short clip on social media suggests.
Habit stack: When you’re sitting down for lunch or waiting for a bus with a friend, ask them: “Have you seen any interesting posts on your feed lately?” to compare what your different algorithms are showing you.
How AI impacts echo chambers
It’s important to remember that echo chambers aren’t just about what your friends share. They are powered by algorithms that work with Artificial Intelligence (AI). These AI systems study how long you spend on a video. They learn what you like and feed you content specifically designed to keep you scrolling.
During the Senedd elections, algorithms can keep you in a bubble where you only see one perspective. This can make it easier for disinformation to reach you because you’re not seeing different points of view.
What kind of news consumer are you?
Breaking out of your echo chamber starts with knowing your habits. Are you a passive scroller or a deep-diver? Take our quiz to find out.
Once you know your style, we’ll give you personalised tips on how to reset your algorithm and make your feed more balanced.
More information
This blog is part of the Fact Check Your Feed campaign, designed to help you filter the noise ahead of the Senedd elections, not tell you how to think. Whether you’re watching a video, reading a post, or following a candidate, the final decision is always yours.
Get access to useful blogs, tips and interactive games to help you build the skills needed to identify and challenge the misinformation and disinformation you see online. Our goal is to ensure that you can make a choice that’s right for you at the polling station on May 7th.
Check out our social media channels to see our misinformation and disinformation campaign videos:
If you’ve seen something online that has upset you, or you just need to talk to someone, you can always reach out to the Meic helpline. They offer free, confidential support for children and young people under 25 in Wales. Get in touch by phone or WhatsApp message on 080880 23456 or chat to an advisor online at www.meic.cymru.
This campaign is part of the UK wide Informed Voices programme led by Parent Zone and commissioned by Ofcom to build young people’s media literacy and online resilience, in particular young voters. ProMo Cymru, who run TheSprout, are delivering this campaign in Wales.
