Saturday, June 20, 2015

Echo Chamber or Just Unified Disgust?

While I have largely failed to develop a distinct twitter voice from my blogging voice from my facebook voice, I have tried to avoid creating an echo chamber on twitter.  I follow people who often/always see things differently.  On facebook, I have muted or unfollowed people as it is a space where I don't mind having an echo chamber--I don't want to get into emotional and potentially angry debates there.

In the past few days, I have to say I am pretty pleased with the echo chambers in both spots.  I have seen no critical updates/comments on facebook and no negative reactions to my various comments/tweets about Charleston and all that.  Indeed, my tweets have gotten far more retweeted/favorited on this stuff than on anything since the week Canada's parliament was attacked last October.

 I am not surprised that my friends and family on facebook are fairly unified in their disgust of what happened and the view that we need to challenge the symbols and actions of racism.  I am a bit surprised at my twitter followers since I don't curate/block to create homogeneity.  I do block some people and do mute others, but it is not aimed at creating an homogenous feed/audience, but to keep things respectful. 

Maybe it is just that acts these are so far beyond the pale of what can be debated that the only people on the other side are so far away that I don't hear them or see them.  During days like this, I am ok with the echo chamber, as I have nothing to say to those who might excuse the actions of racist murderers or who suggest that there is nothing we can do. 

No comments: