Echo Chamber: Extreme Individualism and the Threat to Our Humanity

We have long championed individualism in the West, but in the last four years, the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdowns, and extrapolated influence of social media have introduced aggravating risks to the dangers of isolation and the rise of extreme individualism. Physical distancing and digital/AI-based echo chambers are reproducing a culture of disconnect, impacting our perception of reality, and potentially jeopardizing our sense of shared humanity.

The pandemic's physical distancing, led to a long period of decline in face-to-face interactions. Confined to homes, society turned to digital spaces for connection. Social media, with its peculiar algorithms, engineered to create echo chambers, had its reach increased, feeding individuals with information that reinforced existing beliefs, and, at the same time, shielding them from opposing viewpoints. This confirmation bias fueled a “me-first” mentality, where, in an already individualistic “Western” culture, individual desires are suppressing the needs of the collective. For example: since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, public health measures, become a fertile ideological battleground between supporters of individual liberties and those who defend the measures as just tools for collective well-being.

During these difficult times, the danger of a distorted perception of reality extended beyond the personal realm. Phenomenon like self-absorption, fueled by social media comparisons and the pressure to curate a perfect online persona, became the norm. Additionally, as a result of this fear of infection, self-centrism and self-promotion frequently took the place of empathy, and civic engagement decreased as people gave priority to their carefully curated realities rather than the messy complexity of the real world.

The consequences of this move in all walks of life are stark. As social bonds get weakened, as well as the sense of shared responsibility, the fabric of society becomes disintegrated, and factors such as intergenerational solidarity, crucial for tackling challenges like the future of humanity, crumble. Hence, our society these days is increasingly focused solely on individual achievement, and competition over collaboration, which hinders progress, and compromises the viability of the social contract.

Echo chambers are becoming war rooms, and human rationality, suppressed by fear and tribalism, is fueled by conspiracy theories and apocalyptic prophecies. Like in the allegory of the cave, the echo chamber has produced a mindset, that is conditioned to perceive reality through the lenses of boss-influencers, often trying to disqualify science and distort fundamental values such as democracy, freedoms, and human rights.

Although media manipulation and the rewiring of social collective intelligence are nothing new, the difference today is the extent and reach of human’s black boxes and, in some cases, their DNA. The combination of cognitive science, big data, artificial intelligence, and advertising technologies is proven to be highly effective tools for changing people’s opinions and, in extreme cases, rewiring their brains. So, it is not about the megaphone anymore, it is about the crafted individual message and its capabilities.

While in the past, reward, and punishment were the binary approaches to manipulating people’s opinions, today, thanks to marketing technologies, especially, social media, we know more about them through their digital behaviour. The game has gained extra tools to massage and stimulate their sense of pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, and ultimately wrath. Does this sound familiar?

Like every extremist ideology, extreme-individualism risks deconstructing crucial values, reducing a whole connected ecosystem that has strived for millennia to a mere personal space, and deeply affecting our perception of otherness, degenerating important human values such as empathy, generosity, solidarity, morality, respect, and love. Without these values, our humanity and future will be deeply impacted.

My hope is we reclaim/recover a balanced form of individualism. While prioritizing personal growth is important, so too is cultivating empathy and social responsibility. We need a return to civil discourse, where open communication and respect for diverse viewpoints are paramount. Social media platforms must be held accountable for creating echo chambers.

The solution lies in striking a balance. Technology can be a powerful tool for connection, but we must be mindful consumers. Actively seeking out diverse viewpoints and engaging in respectful conversation are crucial. Volunteering, advocating for social causes, and simply engaging with our communities can foster a sense of shared humanity that transcends the boundaries of our digital bubbles.

The realities of the pandemic and the echo chambers of social media have fueled extreme individualism, which poses a serious threat to our sense of shared humanity. However, by fostering empathy, promoting civil discourse, and reclaiming a more balanced form of individualism, we can bridge the growing disconnect and ensure a future where our shared humanity thrives. I am very hopeful; What about you?