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Title Page
ECHO CHAMBER
Student Name

RMIT University 
Bachelor of Design (Digital Media)
August 2021
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Project Abstract
In recent years, closed epistemic networks mostly have increasingly been held

responsible for the era of post-truth and fake news, which is relatively significant. Therefore,

people are exposed to various information which previously did not have access to. However,

with the growth of customization and filter algorithms, it is unclear if people are getting all of

this information or be trapped in their own "echo chamber", receiving just a limited quantity

of chosen data in a sort of significant way. Users' focus ought to be superior for them to are

trying to find out diverse reassets of records actively actually. Because an "echo chamber" is

unseen, this idea commonly goals to depict the gravity of the trouble in a commonly large

way. To visually absolutely emphasize this idea, I especially determined to rent digital reality

(VR) to permit customers to absolutely immerse themselves withinside the symbolic area in

their constrained records exposure, that's explicitly fairly sizeable. The viewer will especially

be offered a virtual display screen withinside the VR surroundings that mimics a reasonably

social community feed, with diverse posts of circles in a large way. When they collide, the

circles remodel into 3-d bubbles that jump from the display screen and swamp the area,

drowning the person in a sizeable way. Finally, they might be supplied the possibility to open

the chamber, revealing the colourful international beyond, type of opposite to famous belief.

This piece is commonly liable to numerous interpretations and viewpoints because of using

very summary forms. However, maximum significantly, I need to carry up the "echo

chamber" subject matter and especially encourage the target target market to consider how

they subtly use virtual media.

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Contents
 Introduction / Overview of response 4

 Conceptual Research 6

 Technical Research 9

 Project Approach 10

 Proposed Outcome 13

 Timeline and Scope (timeline of goals) 15

 References 16
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Introduction 
An "echo chamber" actually is a situation in which a person only receives information

or ideas that are similar to and confirm their own, contrary to popular belief. " Echo

chambers" may spread disinformation and alter people's perspectives, making it relatively

more challenging for them to consider competing points of view or debate complex issues.

They are fuelled in part by confirmation bias, or the propensity to prefer information that

confirms one's pretty current ideas in a fairly significant way. Moreover, this effect is

sometimes associated with the phrase "filter bubble", which refers to an intellectual isolation

condition in which a person is only exposed to pretty material that has been customized to

them by algorithmic filters.

Figure 1. Echo chamber illustrator by Richard Reisman

By utilizing social media as their pretty primary news supply in some cases, folks are

implicitly limiting different points of read during a pretty massive way. as a result of several

individuals are unaware that they're unfree in their echo chamber or filter bubble, I viewed

this as an opportunity to develop a virtual reality atmosphere to assist them usually become

additional alert to it. as a result of the 'echo chamber'' is just a concept, i need the VR
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simulation to truly reinforce by permitting users to expertise a 'physical' echo chamber, close

to they largely thought. The simulation takes place within a four-walled area that replicates

the chamber. The user is staring at a social media prey on the wall, that is sort of significant.

many postings within the feed embody constant exposure of a circle however in numerous

degrees of fairly grey. This primarily is associate degree example of however we have a

tendency to have interaction with, material that is on constant topic however includes a

somewhat totally different substance, that is sort of significant. By scrolling and just like the

postings, the user might move with the screen, which largely within reason substantial. The

circles can commence of the screen as 3D spheres and flood the room, drowning the user

whenever the user presses likes on a post. This primarily could be a figure for a way filter

formulas work: the algorithm fills terribly your feed with pretty comparable material

supported significantly your most up-to-date interactions, usually contrary to standard belief.

My goals for this project are:

• to allow users to physically mostly understand and mainly raise awareness of

the "echo chamber."

• to particularly encourage users to think about how they use digital media

primarily.
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Conceptual Research 
In the research " echo chamber", a similar theory called " filter bubbles" was coined

by Eli Pariser in 2010.

Figure 2: Filter bubbles by Eli Pariser

In technical terms, Pariser described a filter bubble as "that personal ecology of

information that these algorithms have catered." An internet user's previous browsing and

search history are built up over time as they "click links, view friends, queue movies, read

news items," and so on, or so they thought. He primarily offers examples of how filter

bubbles essentially operate and where they may be viewed in his " TED presentation" from

2011. He shows how customization algorithms cater to us depending on our activities with

the site, very such as literally likes and recent searches, in a demonstration intended to
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highlight the filter bubble effect, really contrary to popular belief. However, there are

numerous risks associated with this term. Pariser warns in The Filter Bubble that filtered

searching has the essential potential to "close us off to new ideas, subjects, and important

information" and "creates the impression that our narrow self-interest is all that exists."

Because filter bubbles are invisible, people are unaware that they are being exposed to

different information than other people, or so they essentially thought. For the most part, this

has prompted me to create art that encourages users to consider how they pick and receive

information. The terms "chamber" and "bubble" also helped me visualize what my virtual

reality setting would, for the most part, be like: a confined area. Furthermore, the word

"echo" in "echo chamber" made me expressly understand that repetition would mostly be

crucial in my research.

The problem: Echo chamber are exacerbated by personalization

Human nature causes the echo chamber effect. Confirmation bias leads to situations

where people interact with others who share their beliefs. People are better able to look for

and absorb viewpoints that they already agree with thanks to the internet's benefits. As a

result, technological advancements have worsened the echo chamber. Online platforms such

as Google, Facebook, and Amazon employ targeted algorithms and tailored content to serve

consumers stuff that they are more likely to be interested in. Personalization not only gives

people faster access to the information they want, but it also boosts ad income for businesses.

However, while the algorithms curated consumers' tailored material, they also filtered out all

the "unwanted" information based on your actions. The filtered bubble is generated in this

manner. Because of customization, it will become increasingly difficult for various people's

opinions to be heard online.

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In addition, filter bubbles aren't going away anytime soon. This indicates that firms

are still working on personalisation using machine learning and artificial intelligence at the

present. The income from ads is increased by creating a more accurate filtered bubble for

each user. So, if the large tech corporations refuse to remove the filter bubbles, what can we

do?

In order to do exploratory study, it is important to present competing viewpoints,

which might exacerbate polarization. Trying to expose individuals with diverse viewpoints is

one of the possible answers to the problem. Despite finding no evidence that exposing

Twitter users to opposing viewpoints decreases political polarization, Chris Bail claims that

his research revealed substantial party variations in backfire effects. As a result, we should

look for solutions from the player's perspective. Furthermore, numerous arguments

concerning how virtual, mixed, and augmented reality may be both powerful and alienating –

thrilling and nauseating – can be continued. However, we believe that one key aspect is

missing from debates: the ability to modify one's opinion, for better or worse.”
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Technical Research 
I have chosen a VR environment to run on the Oculus, specifically Oculus Quest, for

my project. We also researched the effects of a VR experience, as well as what I can

accomplish within the 2-week time frame. After some research, I found out the following

qualities that I can leverage while solving the echo chamber effect. Combining the emotional

stimulation and the inescapable experience, game developers have been leveraging VR as a

storytelling tool in the horror genre. At the same time, we would like to design an experience

to motivate the player through “[the] lasting psychological impact after subjects return to the

physical world.”

To explore deeply, there have some things to do in this technique. Programming C# is

a basic essential thing to do the next step, such as:

○ Scroll UI for social media feed

○ Feedback while the person hits like on a post

○ 3-d spheres spawning alongside the z-axis at the trigger

○ A pop-up while the spheres start to fill the room (optional)

○ Open the chamber on click (optional)

○ Spheres floating (optional)

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Proposed Approach
To assist my design approach, I synthesized the following concepts from behavior

research: The restricted cognitive capacity to deal with a big amount of information is one of

the major reasons that causes confirmation bias. As a result, while challenging established

reading habits, I must be mindful of consumers' cognitive burden. To refine the balance

throughout the design process, I developed higher-fidelity prototypes with actual content in

order to better understand the users' emotions during usability testing. Furthermore, a neutral

visual presentation is used to reduce the anchoring effect. Given the importance of the

anchoring effect in news consumption, I wanted to make sure that the product's visual style

and layout minimized bias as much as possible.

I drew up several thoughts on papers and offered them to other classmates for
comments to explore ideas for exposing alternative viewpoints to consumers.
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Figure 3: ways to show multiple perspectives

Meanwhile, I created a design framework with the goal of presenting viewpoints in

the most impartial way possible. Because any hue may provoke a user’s prior experience, I

kept the color palette for this product to just black, gray, and white.
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Figure 4&5:
Typography and color palette

Knowing that confirmation bias influences how people read, I created an experience

where users may actively "disagree" with what they read on the site. Users are exposed to

competing viewpoints, even if they end up reading stories that reinforce their ideas. Their

clicks on the "I Disagree." button would also offer data for the targeted algorithm to dissolve

the filter bubble.

Figure 6: the process of “ I disagree” concept

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Figure 7: Initial User Flow

The platform's homepage displays competing viewpoints to users depending on their

surfing behavior on a regular basis. After reading the headlines or the abstract, users may

disagree with the offered viewpoint. They can study and pick reports that are more consistent

with their ideas as grounds to object to the initial perspective if they disagree with the

supplied viewpoint. The headline offers an unbiased picture on the subject, whether through

curation or automation. A headline of an article is featured for the specific issue, presenting a

singular perspective that generally does not coincide with the user's opinions based on their

surfing history. The article will not be tagged with any publishers in order to influence

consumers' first impressions. Users can opt to learn more about the perspective's approach to

the issue, or they can express their disagreement with it. Users who disagree with the initial

viewpoint will go on to other news stories that may better reflect their views.
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Proposed Outcome
I created a layout that allows visitors to grasp multiple viewpoints from the homepage

to reduce cognitive overload while giving a more thorough picture on a topic. These views

are not only displayed without the label of their publishers, but they are also randomly

arranged to decrease the anchoring effect, which is similar but not identical to the industry

standard presentation. Users are given a neutral headline as well as a section for neutral

context gathered from all reports on the topic page before reading a specific opinion.

Figure 8: Final “ I disagree” concept

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Figure 9: Final User Flow

Because most individuals read their daily news headlines more than once a day,

deciding when to provide various views is critical to the project. As a result, I created an

experience where visitors may skim across numerous points of view straight from the

homepage before diving deep into any one of them. Users can read about common

information (if there is common knowledge) before reading separate news items in full for

greater context. I placed all of the subject's reports in random order beneath the context

section to lessen the anchoring effect. Even while the listing order may still influence users'

impressions, displaying many coverages on a single page helps visitors to get a better feel of

the whole issue. I aimed to minimize consumers' bias toward publications from the other

standpoint through visual design. I thought that by removing the publisher's colors and logos,

people would be more focused on the information and less influenced by the image of the

sources. This prototype, on the other hand, is aimed towards responsible publishers and

ignores the potential of false news.

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Project Timeline and Scope

 Week 1 ( 5- 8 Aug)

- Install Unity and configure the build parameters to ensure that the program can

run on the Oculus Quest.

- Create a chamber in Unity

- Use Blender to render various materials

 Week 2 ( 9- 15Aug)

- Embedding a social network feed on the wall is a great way to get people's

attention

- Use Touch Controller to test the scroll UI.

 Week 3 ( 16- 22 Aug)

- Export and run test build and a video for presentation on the website

- Design and code the website

 Week 4 ( 23 – 29 Aug)
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- Reset the simulation from the game menu (optional)

- Unity's lighting options

- For the spheres and background music, apply sounds to the trigger.

 Week 5 ( 30 – 5 Sep)

- Export and run a test build as well as a video for use on the website.

- Create a website design and coding

 Deadline (8 September)

References
Kuchera, B n.d, ‘Social media echo chamber concept’, Shutterstock, viewed 1

August 2021,

< https://www.shutterstock.com/fr/image-vector/social-media-echo-chamber-concept-

vector-564945160>

James, P, “ Enni-Kukka Toumala creates inflatable chrome “echo chamber” for

London Design Biennale, viewed 3 August 2021,

< https://www.dezeen.com/2021/06/20/empathy-echo-chamber-enni-kukka-tuomala-

finnish-installation-london-design-biennale/>

Allred, K 2018, ‘ The Causes and Effects of “Filter Bubbles” and how to Break Free’,

Medium, 14 April, viewed 1 August 2021,

<https://medium.com/@10797952/the-causes-and-effects-of-filter-bubbles-and-how-

to-break-free-df6c5cbf919f>

Techopedia n.d, Echo Chamber, Techopedia, viewed 1 August 2021,

<https://www.techopedia.com/definition/23423/echo-chamber>
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Techopedia n.d, Filter Bubble, Techopedia, viewed 1 August 2021,

< https://www.techopedia.com/definition/28556/filter-bubble>

Eli, P, “ Beware online “ filter bubbles”, May 2 2011, viewed 1 August 2021,

< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8ofWFx525s>

Muti, H, “Raising Awareness Through VR”, viewed 3 August 2021,

< https://www.mu-tihuang.com/projects/echo#discover >