DID YOU HEAR??

Obama is not an American.

Facebook is going to start charging its users.

Apple makes the best computers.

What do all of these statements have in common?

The answer can be found in the Echo Chamber Effect.

The Echo Chamber effect is responsible for YouTube videos that “go viral”, for the success of online advertising, and for the popularity of certain brands.

Just what IS this mind-altering, crowd-swaying effect?

Webster’s Online Dictionary describes the Echo Chamber as “any situation in which information, ideas of beliefs are amplified or reinforced by transmission inside an ‘enclosed’ space.”

In plain English, this means that when rumors, slogans or ideas start circulating within a group, they become more believable and widely accepted. The more you hear that Apple makes the best computers, the more likely you are to believe it. 

This ties into the concept of “Brand Familiarity” – the idea that consumers are more likely to buy products they have seen/heard of multiple times.

Social Media creates an ENORMOUS, ready-made echo chamber for advertisers to tap into and take advantage of. Facebook, for example, is basically a giant database of potential consumers/clients ready to be contacted. This is why so many companies have decided to use Facebook as a major tool in their marketing campaigns. In the past, it has been a free and relatively easy way to reach consumers. Unfortunately, I’ve heard Facebook is going to start charging its users soon.